HR 7&8w Elissa's Fosterlings
by slytherinsal
Summary: Elissa has taken on four fosterlings and now finds herself housemother of the newest female apprentices at the Woodcrafter hall, some of whom are extremely...lively. There is ample work for logicators still...from beginning 2523 to end 2523
1. Chapter 1

_This one's all ready to go and a couple more also prepped up[a side shoot from this one,2 weavercraft stories with Amrys of Rivanhill, Varalie's tale and most of Vorinia's Tale] but I am beavering away on WeyrArtists as requested and I will get to all of them... eventually!_

**Chapter 1**

Tahnee never knew anyone could be so happy!

She had foster parents who were wonderful – Masterturner Gerney and Journeyman Elissa – who loved her and her sister Lianka and their other fosterlings, pale delicate Beka who had shared the ordeal of being Sandrina's apprentices; and Kispre, a strange little boy related to Gerney who took being literal to extremes. Tahnee was also allowed to progress with her craft – indeed it was encouraged – and was a part of the new technology of printing, invented by Elissa, and able to make a useful contribution by suggesting having single letters as well as whole words! And by virtue of that she had been made senior apprentice to help teach others! Once Tahnee had been unable to imagine anything better than being free of pain and fear; free from unjust and cruel punishments; and having a full belly and a sufficiency of clothes. These things were the least of her joys in her new life at the Woodcrafter Hall; and now too she even had her own firelizard!

H'llon – another relative of Gerney and a Bronze Rider no less – had brought firelizard eggs for each of Gerney's and Elissa's fosterlings, and for his own little sister Kisra, a couple of turns younger than Tahnee, and of an age with Lianka and Beka. Kisra had a little brown called Woody; the fosterlings each had a blue. Tahnee had called hers Happy, because it was how he made her feel; Lianka's was Uncle Fussy; Beka called hers Nuzzle and Kispre named his Velvet for his softness. Alaran, H'llon's cousin, too had been given a little brown that he named Wally, for he was quite a walnut brown.

The girls all rallied around to help Kispre; Tahnee and Lianka slept in the female apprentice dormitory with Kisra and the older girls, but Beka was with Elissa in her craftcot. Beka had been the most mentally damaged by Sandrina's cruel usage and thought she was fighting back to be a normal little girl it was felt by Elissa and Gerney that she was best kept close to them, the people she trusted, attached to the Woodcrafter Hall in her position as apprentice but away from the main girls' dormitory. At the beginning of the new Turn, she would head the dormitory for new female apprentices who were to be under the care of Elissa as their House Mother and to have seniority over them and some responsibility would, Elissa hoped, be good for Beka! Meantime, as Kispre also lived in the craftcot, Beka might help him to adjust, for Kispre had a strange outlook on the world that was very literal and needed strict routines. And though Tahnee and Lianka were there for him when they might be, Beka felt that he was her responsibility and a little brother to her!

Tahnee eavesdropped shamelessly to discover that there would be four new female apprentices; Master Bendarek discussed the sleeping arrangements with Elissa and Tahnee found a job that brought her within earshot! Three were very young; only one, at thirteen turns, was old enough, Bendarek felt, to go in the main girls' dormitory under Isrona.

"By rights Kisra and Lianka should dormitory with you" said the Master.

"That'll leave Tahnee, Seeta and the new one rattling round like peas in a frying pan with Sadvia" said Elissa "And would rather crowd us out. Those two have earned their seniority; let them stay as they are. The two of them get on well enough to be happy anywhere together; and Lianka's got her sister if she still has the odd nightmare. Then I've Beka to be senior and keep an eye on the three new ones and I've a little room should you need to slot in a couple more."

"Very well; that makes sense. In other words, Isrona's cot is for those who have found their feet as much as for older ones?"

"Essentially, yes. It'd be insulting to put a girl of thirteen in with babes without making her senior – she's a turn older than Beka, Lianka and Kisra. But we don't yet know any of them will make the grade and stay; they could always move into Isrona's cot if they settle in quickly, though for the sake of the older – and more serious – ones I'm minded to say not. Older girls, unless of maternal tendency, might find little girls a little…..trying. the single older girl can hopeflly be friends with either Tahnee or Seeta, she's a turn younger but that might even suit Seeta at that, being so shy and quiet as she is."

"I certainly agree with you about not having very little girls in with the older ones – mostly for Sadvia's sake" said Bendarek. "With her twin gone I'm hoping she'll pull herself together to make Journeyman; and that would be so very much harder for her if she felt she had to be responsible for a younger sister – for one of the new ones is her sister."

Elissa stared.

"I thought neither Indeela nor Ameera were in the east bit interested!" she said.

"They're not. It's Ambreen. And I KNOW she's not yet Turned ten, but Kyal begged hard; he's finding it hard being Hold Woodcrafter with his little sister plaguing the life out of him. He doesn't feel able to train her, being too young himself to feel he can discipline her adequately. I said we'd take her."

"Yes I'd heard she was a bit of an imp" said Elissa cheerfully. "H'llon wouldn't turn a hair, of course, over training Kisra; but Kisra is pretty singleminded like he is! And as you say, Kyal is still rather young and not so….phlegmatic."

Bendarek grinned; partly because Elissa was a full turn younger than Kyal, and partly in fond thoughts about H'llon.

"Nothing ever gets to H'llon – except injustice" he agreed.

"He's more or less what they had in mind when they invented Bronze Riders" shrugged Elissa. "What's the gen on the others?"

"The oldest one, Rahani, is from a minor Hold Beholden to Lemos: she's had some minimal instruction from the Hold woodcrafter. He's a sound man and a good crafter but he doesn't feel equal to teaching properly, and she's keen on a real apprenticeship. He spoke to her parents, and they're happy enough, so…."

"Excellent" approved Elissa "And the little ones?"

"Both of the others are woodcrafter bred" said Bendarek "Their parents want them to take advantage of the facilities we have here at the Hall, the wide range of skills. Sifora's a cousin of H'llon on his mother's side – with all that THAT implies!"

Elissa grinned.

"Literal, likes a solid routine, very talented, tidy to a fault, finds it hard to relate to people" she said. "We have a good routine for Kispre's and Beka's sake; she finds it comforting too. The child will have some trouble while she adapts to a different routine but when she has she should be happy enough."

"She's expecting it to be different to her parents' outhall – it's more than a craftcot, there's three families all more or less interrelated out at the loggers' base at Far Cry Hold; so she should adapt" said Bendarek. "She'll be Turned ten by Turnover; she's too talented – like Kisra – not to permit her to start young."

Elissa nodded.

Many crafts did not accept apprentices until they had Turned twelve, the same age as the Weyr accepted candidates. Exceptions were generally made for the truly talented.

"The third then?" she asked.

"As I said, also woodcraft bred" he said "Sheesha is eleven; and by all accounts very….lively. her father, as well as wanting her to have every advantage, feels she needs the discipline of an apprenticeship."

"Hmm" said Elissa "Which will either put her off woodcrafting for life, or provide grist to her mill of ingenious mischief. With her and Ambreen both I can see if so life is going to be interesting."

Bendarek grinned.

"The Turn's understatement" he said "I should think the latter is more likely from what I've heard. You'll definitely want to keep an eye on her!"

"Fortunately with firelizards I've several eyes to spare!" replied Elissa "Is she likely for dangerous mischief?"

"Not intentionally" he pulled a face "But I'm not sure she is of an age of discretion that could distinguish or think of consequences."

"Ah well, I've dealt with weyrlings" said Elissa phlegmatically.

Tahnee naturally shared this gossip with her sister and other cronies!

On due reflection they decided not to spoil the surprise for Sadvia that her littlest sister would be coming!

Before the excitement of the new intake at Turnover, the traditional time to take in new ones, however, there came to the Hall a new apprentice. He was a tall, swarthy boy with tow coloured hair and he scowled at the door of the latheshop as he passed it, and whistled a defiantly jaunty air.

Tahnee recognised the set of his shoulders.

She had carried herself similarly when pretending that she did not care about some punishment Sandrina had enacted on her.

This boy needed help.

"Hello!" said Tahnee "You're new; anyone showed you about yet?"

He scowled; then took in the tassel on her apprentice knots.

"Aren't you a little young to be a senior apprentice?" he asked.

It might have been cheek; it might have been a veiled suggestion that she was wearing knots she was not entitled to; Tahnee chose to take it as a request for information merely ungraciously expressed. In which, as it happened, she was perfectly correct.

"I've been involved in developing a new aspect of the craft" she said, firmly biting back irritation at his manner "And I've progressed past basic jointing and out of the toolcare class; I've earned my knots with honest hard work."

"No offence meant. Huh, you manage touchy AND polite with it!"

"No point being impolite; that's for the childish and certain Green Riders, but then I repeat myself."

He gave her a look of interest.

"Not grovelling to the Weyr?"

"I don't grovel to anyone, friend. I respect what dragonmen do, but Riders are people too, you know; and some – not all – Greenriders are a little hysterical."

"Yeah? And how many do you know?"

That WAS a challenge.

"Oh I've only met two Green Riders socially but one does hear stories….there's a couple from Benden who drop in here regularly to visit friends; and half the woodcrafters here are also related to Weyrwoodcrafter Bronze Rider H'llon who would never dream of pulling Rank; and his cousin Green Rider L'sya too now, whose mother is Healer here" she added. "Why? Some Rider fardled you off and it rankles?"

He shrugged.

"I'm Holdless" he said, proudly "Riders don't take much account of my kind."

"Oh, out of the Igen caverns by your tan? That's a lot softer than living Holdless up here."

"And what would you know about it?" he asked scornfully.

"Three sevendays I lived Holdless in order to get here and fetch rescue for my sister; I arrived as Fall started, full of fever and half dead. But I did it" she lifted her chin proudly.

"Well I guess I respect that, kid. I mean senior apprentice."

Tahnee shrugged.

"We're apprentices together; that's more important than background or minor titles. My name's Tahnee; and I'm wondering how Master Gerney has upset you."

"My name's Margand; and I can't work that fardling treadle."

"Master Gerney don't like quitters, you know. Those who try and persevere he respects. He took great pains with Kyal; and Kyal's a Journeyman now" said Tahnee. "You go right back in there and tell him you want to keep trying."

"I'm no quitter" Margand growled "All right; reckon I'll do just that!" and he banged into the latheshop.

Gerney caught up with his eldest fosterling at Teatime.

"Thanks, our Tahnee" he said.

"For what was that, father?"

"For sending Margand back in to me. He's a prickly creature for his standing or birth or whatever – I can appreciate that – and assumes that people are going to care and hold it against him. He'll learn to treadle if it kills him, just to please you and show you he's no quitter."

"Please ME?" Tahnee gasped.

"Said you were quite a kid!" grinned Gerney. "He's remarkably talented; Arkis went down to do some work for Lord Laudey, found some carvings on sale, carved out of driftwood, tracked down the carver and offered him an apprenticeship on the spot, and hied the lad back here before he could say no, at least the way Arkis tells it! He adores Arkis but treats the rest of us to be wary of. He's old for an apprenticeship; he's Turned fifteen already, but it would be a crime to waste all that talent."

"Oh well, I'll keep an eye on him if you like" offered Tahnee.

"Good girl; he'll be in your classes for most things. He has the natural talent to make up for missed knowledge!" Gerney told her.

He was proud of his fosterling!

Tahnee sought out Margand.

"I heard Arkis discovered you're a genius" she said cheerfully, plumping herself down beside him.

"You know Journeyman Arkis?"

"EVERYONE knows Journeyman Arkis. He's H'llon's uncle and boyhod friend and rival you know: they arm wrestle and go nut gathering together and things when H'llon visits. Well, the latter in nutting time obviously! Is he standing kind of as your foster father same as my new father did at first before I was officially adopted?"

"Dunno" Margand shrugged with careful carelessness.

"Well, I reckon most people'll look on it that way if he's sponsoring you. My foster parents are real tough on me in class; it's got to be that way, you know, so if Arkis reckons you're worth something he and Master Isimy – his brother – will push you."

"Who are your foster parents?"

"Gerney and Elissa; she's a genius at lathe but all round good enough to have earned Journeyman's knots at just fifteen. She'd been here less than a turn when she walked the tables. 'Course, she'd been prepared by H'llon – she's Weyrbred – but reckon if you're that good you could make it quick to Journeyman too."

"You've never seen my work; how can you say that?"

"I never knew Arkis effusive in praise either" she countered. "Look, father – er, Master Gerney – said you'd be in my class for now; if there's a technique or technical name you've not come across, tell me and I'll catch you up, 'cos you can't be expected to be telepathic like a dragon and it's less embarrassing to have a friend to help than have to ask out loud. I know; Elissa caught me up."

He was watching her warily; then nodded.

"All right" he said "Are you my friend? Or is it because Master's daughter was told to?"

"NOW who's touchy? I suggested it to him, if you want to know, because I've been there – I'll tell you my story and maybe you'll see why I want to pass on the good friendship I was given when I first got here."

Briefly and dispassionately Tahnee related the story of herself and her sister Lianka, Amula, now training as a healer under Saranna, and Beka; how Journeyman Sandrina, a sadistic paedophile, had kept them in subjection with punishments that had killed some of the girls in her so-called care.

He was revolted.

"That's terrible! What happened to this monster – made Holdless I suppose to terrorise kids with no rights?"

"No, actually Elissa snuck in the back window while Gerney and H'llon kept her talking - they'd not have fit through anyway – and broke her neck with a poker" said Tahnee proudly.

He whistled.

"You woodcrafters don't actually muck about, do you?" he said.

"Wll I think she meant to knock her out so Lord Asgenar could hang her; but like Elissa says, things often work out for the best" she grinned "Gerney's a cousin of Arkis and H'llon too, you know; he'd probably be a Bronze Rider himself if he'd ever stood. He's the bastard son of a dragonman; and he got a whole pile of wherryshit about his birth. So when you call me 'Master's daughter' in that way, you remember you're not the only one to be touchy about where you came from. Gerney's proud of his father; and of his mother for refusing to tell her more hidebound relatives who had sired him."

He shot her a quick look again under his pale lashes; and nodded.

"All right. I'll try not to be too touchy. I – I guess it's so marvellous having all these tools, all this wood; I'm afraid of losing it."

"You'll only get kicked out if you do something seriously stupid or dangerous. And if you find it hard adapting to us, well you can always go and train with H'llon at High Reaches Weyr instead; he's acting-Master now and one of his best friends, Bronze Rider D're was a Holdless Trader; and another best friend of his, Blue Rider T'rin lived for turns Holdless caring for his crippled sister when he was just a kid, younger than me."

"And the crippled sister? What happened to her?"

"Gold Rider Sh'rilla" said Tahnee, who knew the histories of every High Reaches Rider from Elissa! "They don't muck about at High Reaches either" she paused and glanced at him. "Is it impolite to ask how you come to be Holdless? Were you born to it?"

"I'm a murderer" he said, clenching his jaw.

"Oh? I take it you had good reason: Arkis can judge a man" said Tahnee calmly.

He gave a short bark of bitter laughter.

"You really aren't worried, are you?" he said "I killed the man who sodomised me – you and I have child rape in common – only I was just the brat of a drudge and he was one of the Hold Harpers."

Tahenee whistled.

"That would have upset the Masterharper to know one of his own was evil" said Tahnee "Like Master Bendarek was upset about Sandrina. I'm glad you killed an animal like that. Did you just run or were you convicted?"

"I ran. I was only twelve."

"Then when H'llon visits next you will make a deposition to him; in the presence of Melth who can tell that you speak truth. And H'llon will make out an affidavit to whichever Lord it was – Laudey is it? – and have the matter declared self defence. Just in case you ever want to go back there; and to protect you from official vengeance from the creep's family."

He stared.

"You make it sound simple!"

"It is. People have problema; they tell them to H'llon; H'llon wades in and sorts them out. End of" she shrugged. "He does things like that. Why do you think he's so fardling popular? He does frothingly incandescent fury over injustice; and believe me, most of the rest of his family is the same!"

Margand had much to digest!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ambreen flung herself on Elissa and hugged her when the little girl first arrived.

"Oh I am glad you're a Journeyman here too, Elissa, and can be my foster mother while I'm here!" she said happily. "Daddy and mother said I must show you and Master Gerney the same respect I'd show them, and it's not hard to show HIM respect I guess because Kyal says he's scary but I do LIKE you most awf'ly so you don't mind if I hug you sometimes, do you?"

She came up for air and Elissa laughed.

"Your parents meant you must obey us as you would them! And of course we use our titles when we teach you; and if you can't remember to call me 'Journeyman' in Hall if you're calling me 'Elissa' in the cot, then you'd be better to call me 'Journeyman' at all times; it's bad for discipline. And, kiddie, I shall be hard on you because you're the sister if one of my best friends here! But I don't mind hugs out of Hall if you CAN separate it from worktime!"

Ambreen pulled a wry face.

"I s'pose it has to be that way. Are you harder on your own fosterlings? Kyal says you have four already!"

"Oh of course I am!" said Elissa. "Kispre's too young to apprentice; we'll see how it goes for NEXT turn. And you girls are to leave him alone!"

"All right!" agreed Ambreen cheerfully!

The two craftbred girls arrived together, Sheesha grinning with wild excitement and bubbling over with joy to be an apprentice; and Sifora hiding behind a scowl. Elissa put Sifora in the bed next to Beka an – not without some misgivings – Ambreen and Sheesha together at the other end of the dormitory.

The two more effervescent ones were soon giggling together, and Beka was explaining to Sifora that Journeyman Elissa had comforting routines, and if Sifora had things she needed to do in a particular order, she was to tell Journeyman Elissa who understood these things.

Sifora brightened considerably.

Later, as the new apprentices tried their hands at the various skills on offer and it became apparent that Sifora showed a considerable talent on lathe, and the child discovered that Beka, Lianka and Kisra were as serious about woodwork as she was, she relaxed considerably and trotted around behind Beka.

It would be good for Beka to come in for a little hero worship. That Beka called Gerney 'daddy' in the cot might have had something to do with it too; Sifora was almost as singleminded about lathework as Elissa herself; and plainly approved of where she was to foster for the immediate future during her apprenticeship!

Sifora registered her disapproval of Ambreen and Sheesha by treating them as though they did not exist; a state of affairs that did not in any way trouble those effervescent maidens! Ambreen proved as good in the latheshop as any of the boys; neither distinguishing herself nor leading to Gerney demanding her immediate removal. Sheesha however could not treadle, and quickly gave up trying, turning her mind instead to what mischief she could get up to!

It was, fortunately for her, Elissa who caught her flicking pellets of sawdust and spit at other apprentices; and the Journeyman cuffed her. It was not a hard blow; but it was a definite rebuke.

"Distracting others in a situation where potentially dangerous tools are being used could cost the boy you're tormenting his fingers – or his eye, or his neighbour's eye if his chisel slips, or he looses his grip and it flies!" said Elissa coldly. "Are you going to make an attempt to treadle whilst roughing that square to a round or are you going to give up without trying?"

Sheesha gave her a cheeky grin.

"Don't reckon I'm going to get it."

"Then you'll not disturb others who are prepared to try" said Elissa sternly. "Nor risk their livelihood with your stupidity. Report to the design room; you can work with Seeta copying patterns while the rest are at lathe. Hop it; I'll not have you in here a moment longer."

Sheesha pulled as much of a face as she dared; but duly hopped it. Copying patterns was boring!

Later the little girl asked Beka

"Was Journeyman Elissa laying it on thick about losing eyes if you're distracted on lathe? I mean even by spitballs?"

Beka was horrified.

"No she wasn't!" she said "And if she'd not seen and cuffed you I was so going to thump you tonight – daddy's only just decided to trust female apprentices on the lathe and than a stupid piece like you has to try and confirm his thoughts that lots of girls are too silly to use dangerous machinery! I'm glad you've been chucked out – you give the rest of us a bad name!"

"You're so dull! What's wrong with a little bit of mucking about?"

"Nothing if it's not going to risk hurting someone but everything if it is, dimglow!" said Beka scathingly "Safety rules have their reasons; and if you piss off Master Challer by mucking about near the waterwheel and the big saw, you'll be just one strike from being sent home in disgrace! Fun is good but for fardles sake TRY to use what's between your ears!"

Had not Beka said that fun was good, it is likely that Sheesha would merely have dismissed her in her own mind as a prig; as it was she pulled a face, shrugged and said,

"All right. I'll try to be safe. I didn't know."

"Then try listening to the safety talk instead of gawping round the room like a new-hatched firelizard looking for scraps" growled Beka, not without some justification. "Your idea of fun is to bully others, s'far as I can see; and that don't make me like you enough to protect your tail when you go daydreaming!"

"BULLY? You take that back!"

"Shan't either! What else d'you call it to stop people doing what they want to do? At least ONE of those boys is hoping to get good enough quick enough to support a widowed mother and a couple of younger ones, 'cos I heard daddy talking about it; he can't afford to lose an eye or a hand to your FUN! If you want real fun you gotta be more imaginative too than making spitballs that a babe of six could come up with" said Beka scornfully. "And nothing in class, neither; 'cos that's NOT acceptable, not interfering with others. It's stupid, dangerous and babyish and anyone who does that sort of thing don't deserve to be an apprentice 'cos they're obviously not old enough inside their head!"

For Beka, being a proper apprentice was a privilege; something far removed from what she had known in Sandrina's cot, and to see someone trying to spoil the craft she loved – as she saw it – made her furiously angry!

Sheesha was not a malicious child; and she did not want to cause anyone real harm; and she did want to be an apprentice! She had, however, heard tales of apprentice pranks and did not want to be left out of that aspect of apprenticeship! Beka's censure about the boy who must support a family touched her heart; and the older girl's rebuke about her imagination fell on relatively receptive ears. Sheesha resolved to carry out pranks properly!

As a consequence, Gerney and Elissa had their anticipated night of passion curtailed before it began; for Ambreen had been a great co-conspirator to make them an apple pie bed filled with woodshavings.

Elissa shook the sheet out of the window.

"Say NOTHING dear" she said grimly "It'll spoil their fun no end to have no reaction at all!"

"This could get tiresome" said Gerney, kissing the nape of her neck in the hopes of rekindling the moment.

"Not once they've worked it out of their system" said Elissa. "It'll be trying for a while – down a bit – until they get bored. Just act nonchalent."

"I've never been the butt of jokes before" growled Gerney "None of the BOYS ever dared!"

"It's being House Father to them" said Elissa "A more familiar and approachable figure. You can be as unapproachable as you like so long as Beka and Kispre know you love THEM; and maybe they'll back off and stop it if you're all haughty Master at them."

He nodded.

"I think I'll have to be with those two young hellions. I really think they're going to be worse than H'llon and Arkis; at least those two MEANT well!"

"Y'know, oh stern and implacable Master, I find I care less" said Elissa, the bed remade to her satisfaction; she wriggled at him. "I'd rather you were stern and implacable at me; stiff even!"

Gerney, as always, gasped in arousal; and forgot their naughty house fosterlings in the more serious matter of satisfying his wife!

The older girl, Rahani, was a happy child; rather opinionated in her views that girls who did nothing but sit at home to be married were pathetic, and honest to a fault and the point of tactlessness. Tahnee rather liked her, and was glad that the child made the grade and more in the latheshop, despite never having used a lathe before. The Journeyman who had prepared her, one Mehenar, had made a concerted effort on making Rahani well trained at tool care, having himself suffered under Master Batol and wanting to save the girl that unkind Master's tongue and punishments. Batol was demoted to Journeyman and no longer teaching; but Mehenar had not known that! Tahnee told the younger girl about Batol's unpleasant foibles.

"And I have to say, top marks to your Journeyman for trying to keep you out of his way!" she said with feeling "He had a particular down on girls I think; he told our Beka she was useless and told her to go kill herself! She was pretty young then and cowed too; and thought a Master had the right to order her so!" Tahnee reflected that Beka had grown up turns since she had been shown love; but it was too complex a concept to explain.

"What a wicked sounding man!" gasped Rahani.

"Yes. Father Gerney thought so too; that's why he beat seven bells out of the creep and Master Bendarek demoted him. Master Batol I mean, he was demoted to Journeyman" she explained.

Rahani mentally promoted Masters Gerney and Bendarek to 'as good as Journeyman Mehenar!

Tahnee took most of her classes now with Sadvia and many of Elissa's friends. Another two new boys in addition to Margand joined them as part trained. Velit was also fifteen and hard working rather than brilliant; Birgel from Three Woods crafthall in the High Reaches was neither brilliant nor hardworking. He did enough to get by; and spent the rest of the lesson mucking about.

Tahnee despised him for the same reasons Beka had been so angry with Sheesha.

She told the boy too; and Birgel was surprised to have a young virago informing him that to some having the chance to apprentice was a privilege; and to see fools frittering away their opportunities when others would be GLAD of the chance to work for a Craft was eough to make anyone puke! Tahnee was far more articulate than Beka; and she wound up,

"And if you continue disrupting classes with your forkjuice, believe me, those of us who want to work will take matters into our own hands and will tie you up and gag you so you can't come to our classes; and as you don't want to learn I guess it won't make any difference to you. It's not even as if you were any good, that would give you the excuse of boredom; my kid sister Lianka's better than you at a lot of skills, and she's got better conversation too!"

Birgil was too surprised to make too much reply!

Tahnee was more interested in helping Margand in any case; and introduced the boy to Alaran, and Elissa's other main friends, Teerel, Tirlo, Kamar and the other logicators. She also got him involved by asking Alaran to relate the history of the Woodcraft logicators!

Margand was wary; and surprised at the friendliness he was shown – and the informality of the logicator meetings once he decided to attend one, even Master Gerney being addressed by his name alone for the duration of the meetings!

Margand was starting to lose the chip on his shoulder!

Since one of Elissa's other friends, Leichalle, had been made up to Journeyman at the same time as the weyrbred girl, Margand's hero Arkis had been courting her; and their betrothal was announced.

None of the logicators was surprised.

Arkis joined the logicators at the urgings of his bride-to-be; and Margand had to admit they made a perfect, if strange looking pair, for Leichalle was as petite as Arkis was broad and tall! The Holdless boy was a little jealous of Leichalle's hold on Arkis' affection; and knew it was foolishness. Knowing did not stop the feelings!

Arkis noticed; and drew the boy aside.

"Leichalle's hardly any older than you" he said "And I'm not so very much older, myself, I'm the baby of the family! To foster you would be silly; you're virtually a man. In many ways you ARE a man. But you're a fine lad; how about I adopt you as an honorary cousin the way we adopted Elissa on account of her being H'llon's apprentice? You're my apprentice in many ways – I've tried to prepare you in a hurry – so that keeps it in the family. How about it?"

Margand flushed.

"I – I'd like that very much" he said sincerely. "I don't know much about family; I never had a father; and mother died when I was ten."

"You'll learn" said Arkis cheerfully. "Family is about loving; learning to take as well as being happy to give; and finding out that the more people you give your love to the more you are loved. It's also about forgiving silliness – though with H'llon's daft brother and sillier sister-in-law that can be fardling hard at times. But one tries to be tolerant with family!"

"I'll try sir" said Margand, earnestly.

"Then out of class it's just 'Arkis'" said the Journeyman.

"Yes Arkis" said Margand.

Arkis' comment about H'llon's brother Kislan was a trifle pointed; for that Journeyman was waiting with open and almost malicious anticipation for Master Gerney to admit defeat with young Kispre and find him as hard to comprehend and discipline as Kislan had done. Kispre was utterly incomprehensible to Kislan, who was his father; and to Prelaia, the boy's mother, and hastily spoken words had led to the boy running from his family cot and thence to his fostering by Gerney and Elissa. As Kispre exhibited the same familial traits as Kislan's brother being extremely literal and needing to have order and routine, Gerney for one thought Kislan might just have recognised and made allowances for the boy. But Kislan was not the man his own father was; Kisron had been gently tolerant of young Hallon's foibles and was relieved to see his grandson now in the care of someone like Gerney who displayed the same understanding!

Kispre was utterly happy with Gerney and Elissa. They accepted him the way he was; and tried to meet his foibles half way, and no-one could really ask more! The child's new found happiness reflected in his work with the Hall Harper too; and he quickly pulled ahead of his age group, making mockery of his mother's declaration that he was stupid, even retarded!

Prelaia had gone so far as to make snide comments to Elissa about how good she was to humour Gerney by taking on a half-wit; and Elissa had affected surprise and said,

"He's taken you under his protection? I hadn't heard!"

It took a while to sink in; it is often those of no more than average intellect who call others 'stupid' if they have not themselves the wit to understand them. When it DID sink in, Prelaia burned with anger and humiliation, for the initial snide comment had been made quite publicly and in a tone to carry, to humiliate Elissa, and particularly Gerney; and the weyrbred girl had replied in kind. Prelaia after all was no journeyman who needed to have respect maintained whatever private opinion might pertain. Bendarek did gently reprove Elissa later; but had to agree when the young Journeyman said hotly,

"She put down my fosterling – her own SON – in front of everyone! And he'll be an apprentice before long, is it fair to permit kids who'll be seniors then think he is a half wit? And it was besides a deliberate attempt to make Gerney look foolish, and me wet! I should let her insult a Master and a Journeyman and a future apprentice for why, Master? You wouldn't let an outsider speak like that, and to all intents and purposes she is one! She's a tunnel snake and it's HER you should reprove for starting it!"

"My dear Elissa, your points are valid but I cannot reprove her! I have no jurisdiction over her; she is not a crafter nor yet one of the support staff!"

Elissa drew her brows together.

"Then, Master, reprove her husband. If she can't show respect for his craft she has no right to be permitted amongst crafters scrounging free meals in our eating hall; and he should make her stay out of our sight."

Master Bendarek nodded.

"There is much in what you say" he said "I cannot have her spread malice. Poor little Kispre!"

"One only hopes that the other two are normal enough not to suffer from her. And if they are not, I'll fardling well take them off her too!"

"If they are I shall support Kisron should he make recommendation to Kislan that Gerney care for them too; I will speak to him on that matter" said Bendarek. "Better done that way than with an argument."

Elissa bowed her head in acquiescence.

"As you wish Master" she said "And let's hope they don't have any more; H'llon reckons Prelaia's so sour any babe would be sucking on curds and whey!"

Bendarek turned the laugh into a cough.

"Try onion and sugar boiled together" recommended Elissa, citing the foul, but efficacious country cough cure!

"Pest" said Bendarek without rancour.

Kislan's trouble was jealousy.

He had not been jealous of Hallon when his younger brother had been a solitary lad, admittedly talented, but unable to pull, or even to flirt. Things had changed in the last few turns however! It had begun with H'llon's Impression; and not just any dragon but a Bronze dragon, giving him automatic social Rank equivalent to a lesser Master. And on top of that, H'llon had been awarded acting-Master Tassels, with no suggestion that his older brother be made up to Master, even though a dragonrider could never be more than a part time crafter! And Kislan had heard that his brother too had taken to wife – or whatever the weyr equivalent was – an exquisitely beautiful girl with curly golden hair and who was tipped to Impress a Golden Queen like several of her ancestresses! What was worse, Master Bendarek took advice from the big bumbling fool, for everyone knew H'llon was a big dummy! And last time H'llon had been visiting, F'lar, the great Weyrleader of Benden had called in to talk to the Masterwoodcrafter; and had that fool brother of his shown proper respect? No! He had merely nodded and said cheerfully 'oh hello Benden!' as though he were greeting – well, Arkis! And the Weyrleader had not put him in his place but had replied, 'ah, H'llon! How are your apprentices?" and the silly clunch had told him in detail – as though the Weyrleader really wanted to know, for everone but H'llon knew that such questions were asked only in politeness, not a desire to get an answer! But H'llon had always been the same, pretending to take a question seriously like that moronic brat Kispre!

And THEN of all things, H'llon – and how he hated having to use that honorific contraction of that fool – had PRAISED Kispre to him, saying how much talent the brat had! It was the outside of enough – and it wasn't FAIR! Why should that big clunch have so much honour and adulation, and all he, Kislan, got was abuse and hard names from Master Gerney and Master Bendarek? He wished Gerney and that weyrwhore of his every joy of Kispre; and hoped that it would sour their marriage as surely as the brat had soured his!

Kislan was not one to look closer to home for any blame!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N _Thanks to everyone for reviewing, my reply URL is STILL not functioning; those of you who are anonymous or who disable messaging I'm afraid I can't thank personally for each review, but be assured I do appreciate your comments and I am reading them! I've notified FanFiction of the problem ..._

**Chapter 3**

Kislan should not have had anything to do with the younger apprentices; he taught on occasions only with extreme reluctance. But Kisra was his very much younger sister, and though he normally ignored her, he decided to presume upon the relationship.

"You're friendly with that female's fosterlings, aren't you?" he asked abruptly, with rather a forced smile.

Kisra gave him a rather fishy stare.

"Not knowing which female you mean if you don't specify, can't say" she said.

Kislan compressed his lips with irritation; she was quite as stupid as H'llon.

Kisra shared many of the family traits it was true; but in this instance she chose to exaggerate them to irritate her brother. Irritating Kislan was a habit Kisra had developed in retaliation for the unkind comments the eldest of her siblings made about her adored H'llon. She had a much better idea of how the world wagged than had H'llon at the same age and wielded the family foibles ruthlessly to annoy anyone she did not like; her brother and his wife fell into this category!

Kislan did not even notice how her manner changed towards him!

"Elissa" he answered her shortly.

"I get on very well with JOURNEYMAN Elissa's children" said Kisra firmly emphasising Elissa's title as she would not have done had Arkis or Isimy or Isrona spoken familiarly of the girl.

"Yes, good, good" said Kislan, hardly noticing the rebuke. "So tell me – Gerney's putting a brave face on it, isn't he? Kispre causes trouble in the cot, doesn't he?"

Kisra scowled.

"You ought not to forget Master Gerney's title when speaking inside the Hall" she said "And you're way off anyway. Nothing wrong with Kispre that removing a fat old tunnel snake from his ear hasn't cured."

Kisra REALLY did not like Prelaia who called her names and laughed at her.

Calling her names back was only fair, though Kisra knew that grown ups would not necessarily see it that way; but it would be worth it.

The blow Kislan gave her was hard; and Kisra could not ride all of it.

"You can punish me all you like, Journeyman; but you can't change my opinion!" said Kisra.

"Journeyman? Have you – are you so stupid that you've forgotten I'm your brother?"

Kisra's eyes narrowed at that unnecessary insult.

"We are supposed to treat relatives by their rank 'cept out of learning time and out of Hall. Are you being my brother then and not a Journeyman?"

"Of course!" said Kislan impatiently.

"Good; I can retaliate then you fork-wit!" said Kisra; and nutted him hard in the midriff.

She aimed for the midriff anyway; and caught him some inches below.

Kislan doubled up.

"THAT's for the mean blow" said Kisra "And for calling me stupid and for letting your nasty wife call me moronic and not letting me call names back. You're not a proper brother; proper brothers look out for their little sisters. I don't want you to be my brother; I want to unadopt you!"

Master Tuon emerged from his marquetry class to investigate the noise; Kislan was groaning loudly and Kisra was shouting.

"What is going on?" the Master looked from little girl to doubled up Journeyman.

"It's all right, Master Tuon" said Kisra calmly "He's not being a Journeyman, he said, he's being my brother so it's in order to retaliate."

"Ah. I see. Run along to wherever you're supposed to be now, Kisra" said Tuon.

Kisra flashed him a rare smile and ran.

Tuon was no fool; he had heard enough background to put several things – including Kisra's furious and devastatingly clear treble speech – together. And he had spoken to Kislan before, finding the man jealous of Elissa's rapid promotion and making comment that it was no doubt because of her association with H'llon. Kislan had called the girl a weyrwhore and intimated that she had slept her way into being Journeyman. Tuon had threatened Kislan with a hearing before Bendarek for that; and pointed out that such comments did more than damage the reputation of a young woman, who had shown NO such proclivities; but also insinuated that the whole craft and the integrity of its Masters was a farce; and made therefore the position of ALL Journeymen suspect. Kislan had not thought through his attempts to discredit H'llon through attacking Elissa's honour; and had shut up forthwith. But Tuon had kept an eye on him. Tuon had got over disliking Elissa for putting itchweed in her hair to discourage his flirting the moment he had found out how young she really was; he actually admired her ingenuity! And he certainly respected her ability as a crafter, even if there was no real warmth between them. He had apologised for flirting; for he knew it could be oppressive to a very young girl, explaining he had taken her for at least eighteen; and she had accepted that cordially.

One person Tuon did respect greatly was H'llon, for overcoming what was, in Tuon's eyes, calamitous social handicaps in the familial traits! And the Master despised Kislan for both his lack of real application to crafting whilst seeking to put down an undoubtedly talented man like H'llon; and his foolishness in being caught by so poisonous a piece as Prelaia! So, when Kislan's eyes had stopped watering and he had unwound himself slightly the marquetry Master said crisply, if quietly,

"And you brought that upon yourself, you idiot! You've gone too far; I AM going to take steps, you're becoming a disruption!"

Tuon laid the whole before Bendarek unofficially; and suggested that Kislan be sent a long way away.

Bendarek concurred.

"Somewhere unsuitable to take children I think" said the Woodcraftmaster. "Prelaia may go if she wishes; or she may stay to take care of the younger two and no reason for her to leave the craftcot at all."

Kislan was horrified; but dared not disobey. Prelaia, naturally, had hysterics to find that her husband had been posted to Lewis Hold, a seahold well to the north of High Reaches Hold and described by High Reaches Dragonriders as 'slightly north of human tolerance'. Prelaia did however elect to go with Kislan, as much out of fear of what people would say if she did NOT accompany her husband as for any other reason; forgetting that they might approve of a woman putting her children first.

The concept of putting anyone but herself first was an alien one to Prelaia.

Bendarek knew that to post Kislan elswhere – and gambling that Prelaia would go with him – was nothing but a shifting of responsibility; but it would at least prevent incidents that he could only too well envision, of Kislan opening his ill-considered mouth and calling Elissa a weyrwhore in front of someone like Lord Asgenar, or F'lar of Benden, even worse; or – calamity! Lessa of Benden! Besides it was unfair on the girl – young woman , he corrected himself – to have such names applied to her and so unfairly. Not to mention, as Tuon had pointed out, the man's insinuations bringing the Crafthall into disrepute. Kislan and Prelaia would not have much chance to spread gossip and poison in Lewis; they were some of the dourest fishermen on the planet, from fighting with the pitiless sea in so northerly a clime, the limit of human existence! And unlike many seaholders, the holderfolk of Lewis held respect for both Harpers and Dragonmen, the former for the tenuous link they formed with the outside world; and the latter for their turning out in all weathers and Thread.

Preslan and Kilaia, the two younger children, duly moved into Elissa's craftcot with their older brother. Preslan was a stolid and dutiful little boy of seven turns who cried a few tears for his father before he discovered the rocking dragon H'llon had made as a gift to the fosterlings. Kilaia, at five, curled up initially in a ball rockingherself; and Elissa picked her up for a cuddle.

There was no response; and Elissa knew better by now that to really expect one. She had asked Kispre if he disliked cuddles because he did not respond; and Kispre had looked puzzled and said that he did like cuddles and what was he supposed to do, then?

Elissa had told him to do what he liked; so long as being cuddled made him happy, for that made her happy. And some months on, and watching the other children, he was starting to lean into her embraces a little.

Kilaia was apparently the same; and would need gentle treatment and a firm routine. Her routines had been upset by the change. Naturally, she missed her parents; just because she could not express emotions did not mean she did not feel them! Elissa's heart went out to the babe.

It was fortunate that Kilaia did not know that the girl who would be her foster mother was the one her own mother had poured out vituperation about with no regard to whose little ears were listening; or the poor mite would doubtless have been frightened badly and less ready to be in any way responsive. Elissa however found she had to reprove the child for the things that she said.

"My mother says it" said Kilaia obstinately over a comment about weyrfolk being dirty.

"Why, your mother has never been in a weyr and so how can she know? She speaks about things she has no knowledge about and repeats silly things that others with as little experience have said!" said Elissa patiently, not wanting to denegrate the child's mother too much to her. "Don't you think it's a bit silly to say things if you don't know them for yourself? Why, I might as well say, 'Kilaia loves greens and hates bubbly pies' without even asking you!"

Kilaia considered.

Such a practical question about ridiculous assumptions appealed to her.

"S'pose so" she conceded.

"Why don't we visit High Reaches Weyr and see uncle H'llon?" suggested Elissa.

"NO! Uncle H'llon's a big stupid dummy!"

"THAT is an unforgivable thing to say about a Bronze Rider – as well as being a lie" said Elissa coldly. "H'llon is big; and Master Bendarek can tell you he's very clever. You believe the Masterwoodcrafter don't you?"

A reluctant nod.

Elissa went on.

"Some people call people like H'llon and Kisra and Kispre and you stupid because they don't understand how you think and don't understand that you find it difficult to understand how people work."

"Father says I'm stupid; so does mother."

"Well! Do YOU think you're stupid?"

Kilaia considered.

"If they think I am, I must be, mustn't I?"

"No" said Elissa, emphatically. "They don't understand you, that's all. I don't entirely; but at least I've got the balls to admit it and say that I'll try my hardest. Uncle H'llon understands. HE has learned to understand people and he can help you. Shall we, hmm? We can come away if you don't like it, or if you think that dragonmen smell – at least, other times than when they stink of firestone after fighting Thread! But they do bath you know – and I should think your mother misunderstood some comment that was made about the smell of firestone and thought they never washed it off, hmmm?" Elissa decided that tackling the concept of 'dirty' was best done on a level a five-turn-old would understand; and seethed with anger quietly over Prelaia's undermining of the respect for dragonmen in her children, just because of her and Kislan's resentment of H'llon and anyone connected with him! They would have precious little but short shrift from the fishermen of Lewis if they spoke against dragonmen; the mountain rescue team had brought in two lads whose skiff had been dismasted and who had gone into the sea, and had them back in time to save their lives at that. H'llon too had visited Lewis using Melth to carry heavy timbers for masts that would otherwise have taken weeks to ship; and had found them pleasant enough people once their initial reserve was breached; though their dialect was so far from regular Harpers as to be virtually incomprehensible! Kislan and Prelaia would be in for a poor time of it if they spoke ill of the Weyrwoodcrafter!

Sadvia agreed to move into the craftcot for two days while Elissa took all her fosterlings to visit at High Reaches; some might one day stand for Impression and it would do them no harm to know the weyrfolk!

Kispre was delighted to meet Radall, of whom he had heard a great deal; and Tahnee, Lianka and Beka were shown about by Sagarra. Preslan was taken under the wing of Marag, Sagarra's half brother, and another stolid little boy; and Elissa introduced Kilaia to her own half sister and half brother, Eliora and Nalissan, who were of an age with the visiting child. Elissa had never taken much interest in her siblings, being too young herself before going to the Woodcrafter Hall to find them interesting as infants. Now however, comparing them to her newest fosterlings she found more in common with them. Nalissan at least was starting to carve little things from offcuts, even if Eliora was quite uninterested.

The best thing about the visit was that all three of the younger children were completely captivated by dragons, even Preslan! In fact he asked,

"Oh Journeyman Elissa, may I come here when I'm old enough to Impress?"

"Certainly" said Elissa "For it is the Right of any to ask. I would strongly advise, though that you start your apprenticeship first, though when you are of age you can continue to study here under H'llon. But you have a wider variety of skills in the Hall and as you have the opportunity it would be well to learn something of them all first. Remember, you are eligible until you are twenty; you might even choose to become a Journeyman before you stood for Impression! It is always good to have a craft as well you know; in case the unthinkable happens and your dragon dies; and also when Threads stop falling you will need to have something to do!"

Preslan nodded gravely.

"That sounds sensible" he said gravely.

Preslan could have had sensible as a second name. Elissa's main concern with him was that he might turn into a bit of a prig; and resolved to do her best to divert THAT!

Still, Isrona had described Gerney as too serious and solemn a child; and he had turned out VERY nicely!

Helping cousin L'sya oil her young dragonet and cadging lifts across the Bowl with newly flying weyrlings went a long way to helping the younger two to forget that they were missing parents who, in Elissa's opinion, did not deserve to be missed; and there would be plenty to talk about back in the craftcot!

Their return found Sadvia bubbling over with indignation and horror at the iniquity of children. Not only had Ambreen and Sheesha made her an apple pie bed, they had switched salt for sugar in the bowl, Ambreen knowing that Sadvia had a good scoop of sugar on her morning porridge; and they had also rubbed onion juice in Sadvia's underwear. Sadvia, an apprentice herself, albeit senior, had no right to set punishment without being ratified by a Journeyman and as she said to Elissa,

"I don't want to mention underwear to a man!"

"Well, I think that's daft and prudish; but I suppose you can't help your upbringing" said Elissa "And I suppose Isrona IS too indolent to deal with such horrid scamps! Very well; you have reported the matter to a journeyman; I'll deal with them."

The two culprits looked not in the least bit penitent when Elissa said

"Well?"

"She rises so beautifully!" said Ambreen.

"I am truly disappointed" Elissa's voice was wintry "I trusted you to treat someone I made my proxy as you would treat me. The bed is forgivable; though to repeat a trick is the sign of a boring and unoriginal mind. The salt; I grant you I can see the humour in that. The general disrespect is NOT forgivable; for you have disrespected Master Gerney and myself by your iniquitous treatment of our proxy. And the onion juice is nothing more than a piece of as nasty bullying as I have ever heard of! THAT sort of treatment should be reserved for paying back bullies. Very well; take off your underwear; you will wear it treated the same way for the time it takes you to eat three full spoonfuls of overly salty porridge. That should give it time to warm up and provide you with the full effects and teach the pair of you what a fine brace of little bullies you are. You may bathe after than and spend the day in bed reflecting on your sins; and for the next sevenday, as you are not to be trusted, every minute you are not in lessons you will be in the cot under my eyes with the little ones; and during beaks, you will be supervised by a senior apprentice save when you are actually in the necessary."

The girls wriggled painfully through choking down their allotted spoonfuls – and salty milky porridge is quite disgusting – and fled thankfully to change and bathe when the last mouthful went down. Those three mouthfuls were more than enough; and part of the reason Elissa wanted them in bed was in case it made them sick!

Two little girls vowed they would think a lot more carefully before pulling any tricks again!

Worst of all was being under Elissa's eye while the other apprentices went out to play; the long seventh day, always a day off, went very slowly while Elissa placidly treadled on her lathe producing boxes of wood and soapstone for sale. The girls might carve; or sew; or play indoor games; but their hearts were heavy to hear the other youngsters shouting about the giant slide they were constructing while the cold held!

At the end of that long day, Elissa cleaned the lathe, oiled it and turned to them.

"Will I be able to trust you not to make a fardling nuisance of yourselves the moment my back is turned in future?" she demanded.

"Yes Journeyman" said Sheesha, almost meekly.

"You bet!" said Ambreen, fervently.

"Good. Now help me lay the table for supper; and tomorrow is another day" said Elissa.

It had been quite as trying for her as it had been for the culprits; but enough was enough. They were QUITE old enough to learn that actions had consequences. Elissa looked at them suddenly, seeing Ambreen simmering slightly.

"You might ask Tahnee about the punishments Journeyman Sandrina – a wicked woman – set her and the other three for even looking the wrong way; it might stop you feeling ill used for a legitimate punishment you brought on yourselves. Unlike Beka, Tahnee, Lianka and Amula you've never been whipped until the blood ran; or had your legs thrust out into Threadfall and hope the agenothree kills it before your legs are eaten off; not been tied for long periods unable to sit, stand or lie down. That is the sort of woman Sandrina was; one who enjoyed causing pain and fear. By enjoying causing pain and distress to Sadvia – and you know now how much pain you caused – you are heading towards being like Sandrina. I think you two are basically decent kiddies whose high spirits got out of hand because you, Ambreen, find it difficult to treat your older siblings with the respect they should have earned by their hard work. You were sent here because you cheeked Journeyman Kyal. Sadvia too hopes to be made Journeyman soon and she is a hard working senior apprentice. Any other senior apprentice would have put you over his knee and employed his slipper. Presuming on Sadvia's good nature and desire to protect her baby sister is unkind. KISRA would never dream of disrespecting H'llon! Now, I did not mean to give you a lecture after punishment was over; but if you're not understanding WHY you were punished it's wasted."

"Was – was she really so cruel?" asked Ambreen in a little voice.

"I haven't told you the half" said Elissa "It would sicken you. It sickened us grown ups. And Beka doesn't talk about it because she'd rather forget that time. Which is why I recommended you to Tahnee. And NO taking out your grievances on Beka just because she's dorm head, all right?"

"We didn't know; she never whines about it. Is – is that why she's so serious?" asked Sheesha.

Elissa nodded.

"The woman was evil; they all suffered badly" she said "And they take being REAL apprentices as a privilege they never thought they'd get! I hope you NEVER come across anything like that. And I hope that's shaken you out of feeling hard done by, because by the first egg you are not!"

It gave the young pranksters much food for thought!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Y'know" said Sheesha "Journeyman Elissa's quite right; and she's fair. The onion juice was pretty bad; I'd heard about it and I didn't know how bad it was. And she DID say it was all right to do it to someone nasty."

Ambreen brightened.

"She said in retaliation, so if we can't fight back any other way we can do it to a bully, or a bullying journeyman I guess!"

"Exactly. And she didn't think the bed was wrong, or even the salt; and I guess if you do something to people it's fair if they retaliate, like us having to eat salty porridge . and she and master Gerney were sports not to mention the bed we did for them; 'cos we DID catch them or she wouldn't have mentioned repeating jokes."

"I'd not thought of that!" said Ambreen, much struck. "I s'pose we did go too far. I – I guess it would be nice to apologise to Sadvia."

Sheesha pulled a face.

"Yes" she said. "Elissa didn't insist, but I guess she'd like us to. She left that to our sense of fair play I s'pose."

Apology is never easy; but they stumbled through it.

"Did Elissa send you?" asked Sadvia.

Ambreen shook her head.

"No; but she made us realise we were heels to you" she said.

"Then I accept with pleasure" said Sadvia, hugging her sister and ruffling Sheesha's hair.

Sadvia told Elissa; and when the girls came in from classes she kissed them both.

"You'll do" she said.

It should not be imagined that the pranks stopped entirely; but after incurring such a plethora of consequences from their mad and thoughtless prank spree, Ambreen and Sheesha thought about consequences a little more; and actually gave thought to whether their jokes might cause real distress to an innocent party! They aimed their more outrageous efforts instead at those they considered fair game; such as those Masters who made themselves unpopular.

Chief among the Masters as a fit subject for vengeance was Master Jaben, who taught basic construction. Jaben was rather self opinionated, knowing that much of the craft was built on his speciality. He and Master Tuon cordially detested each other, Jaben feeling that all decoration was a waste of time and likely to be used to divert attention from poorly finished pieces; and Tuon thought him a fanatical old fool. Elissa could see points on both sides; too many people DID use decoration to hide constructional faults. And on the other hand a total eschewing of all decoration seemed a little obsessive, even if personally she found Tuon's style too florid and fancy for her tastes.

The mistake, so far as Ambreen and Sheesha were concerned, that Jaben made, was to criticise Master Tuon in public and call him a 'finical fool who was all squeak and no substance'. The little girls were both shocked at one Master speaking so of another in front of apprentices – it just wasn't done – and annoyed because they rather liked Tuon. Tuon was a bit of a snob, and was proud to have yet another Ranking child in his classes; and though he was kind to all the smaller children, he smiled more at Ambreen and her friend. Like most small girls they adored excess decoration and Tuon was a prime favourite! Consequently they put their heads together and made dark plots.

Jaben almost had an apoplectic fit when his attempted to hammer pegs into prepared holes as a demonstration that glue and nails were not the only way of joining even without the intricacies of dovetails. The pegs disintegrated into a gooey, crumbly mass; which was scarcely surprising as they were carved out of cheese.

The girls gave themselves away by giggling too much and were on a water diet for a sevenday. They thought it well worth it; Tuon was avenged!

Most of the boys wore simple moccasins indoors – all parts of the Hall could be reached through semi-submerged tunnel runs – and changed into boots to go out. All the boots lived in what was known as the bootery, a room at the convergence of several passages; each boy having there a couple of pegs for cloaks and jackets, which also lived there, and a box for keeping their boots or moccasins. These boxes were also often used – in contravention of Hall rules – for stuffing in anything else the apprentices could not be bothered to put away properly, leading to occasions when the lids would not properly shut and the boxes could not be used for their proper secondary purpose, that is, as seats for the donning and removal of footwear. Each turn's intake had their own area and were expected to keep it tidy; failure to do so leading to loss of leisure while the situation was rectified. Confiscations of illegally stored items was also a regular occurrence to those of a lazier nature; which led to fines for the release of such property. Such penalties for the improper use of the bootery, however, the boys accepted with good grace; fair was fair.

The older boys were NOT however amused to have their play time shortened by having to sort out their boots, which had been taken from their boxes and randomly returned, not even necessarily as a pair. Tirlo gazed in dismay on the boots left to him; one being too big and the other being too small.

"They've gone too far" he growled.

"We'll settle them" said Alaran.

He sought out the little girls; he had a fair idea who the culprits were!

"You brats" he said to Ambreen. "Don't even THINK of relying on being girls to get away with it!"

Alaran was Master Gerney's special pupil; and thought long and deeply over how to exploit that once he had given the girls fair warning!

He managed to engineer a message from the Lathemaster to Elissa while she was at home in the craftcot; taking Teerel with him. Teerel was chosen because he was adept at needlework; and slipped off while Alaran engaged Elissa in conversation.

The plot was almost spoiled by Preslan following Teerel and asking,

"Where are you going?"

Teerel put a finger to his lips and whispered,

"Revenge!"

Preslan followed him into the girls' dorm – he was not supposed to, but Elissa would probably, he reasoned, rather he broke bounds than let a big boy be too bad.

Out of the main room – and well away from Elissa's hearing – Teerel explained what the girls had done; and what he meant to do by way of revenge.

Preslan considered.

It seemed fair enough.

"It won't have been Beka or Sifora" he said "You mustn't do it to them!"

"I know that! Perhaps you'll point out which are Ambreen's and Sheesha's beds? I'd have rummaged to find out – and no worse than them rummaging in our boxes but I think it's a bit dishonourable to do that."

Preslan was happy to show him; it avoided injustice to the other two girls!

He watched Teerel until the boy had finished and kept cave for him to slip out again.

At bedtime, Ambreen and Sheesha were MOST put out to find their nightgown sleeves sewn up!

Elissa came in with scissors.

"The seniors manufactured a most excellent excuse to come in to undertake their vengeance" she said serenely "What's sauce for the wherry is the same for the herdbeast, you know!"

And that was that.

The little girls accepted the revenge; and accepted that Elissa was happy to let the punishment of their peers stand rather than interfering judicially.

Next day, Kispre asked, quite suddenly, at supper,

"Why do people play jokes?"

"Oh, there are several reasons" said Elissa. "Sometimes it's to show disapproval to a bully, or someone you want to reprove but who is more important than you; and so far as a bully is concerned, if they're either so senior or so tough you can't take them behind the finishing shed to collectively knock the stuffing out of them, then to reduce them by ridicule is the only step you can take. There was a most unpleasant Master here – he's not here now – and your cousin Alaran and one of his friends took the fellow's underlinen and planted it up on the top of the log store. Including those from his dirty basket" she grinned "That was very funny as we thought him a very porcine. Sometimes jokes are played on other apprentices as an expression of mild rivalry; and then of course the group initiating the joke cannot then complain if the objects of it seek revenge. It's a kind of acceptable disobedience so people can relieve their feelings, and accept a – usually – mild punishment if they get caught, either from their Masters - like being given the boring diet of bread porridge and water for a few days – or something more creative and fitting from their fellows."

"Would you put us on a water diet for a sevenday for a prank, Journeyman?" asked Sheesha.

"No; but not all Journeymen and Masters punish like each other. So long as each one punishes consistently that's all right; it's unfairness that should be avoided, having one punishment for an offense to one child and other for the same offence to another – unless for good reason, like one child cannot be on water rations for suffering an illness, say."

"What would you have done if you'd been in Master Jaben's place?" Sheesha wanted to know.

Elissa laughed.

"Oh, as you were so fond of cheese I think I'd have sat you down and made you eat either a whole cheese between you, or eat a piece of the smelliest strong cheese I could find!" she said. "Journeyman Arkis would have spanked you; Master Gerney would have set you carving replacement pegs, wasting your leisure for wasting his time" – here Gerney, listening, nodded agreement – "And Master Challer would have given you each a stint at the bottom of the saw pit with a crosscut saw. Master Tuon, who's good natured, would probably have cuffed the pair of you lightly and had you help clearing up."

Sheesha sighed.

"It's much less unfair having suitable and interesting punishments, even when they're tougher than old water rations!"

"Well, maybe Master Jaben has it right then, as the least encouragement to your creative mischief" said Elissa seriously; and the two imps never knew how close she had come to losing her self control to laugh at Sheesha's assessment of fair! "You will learn who uses which methods of discipline by experience; for I can't see you two settling down for a while yet. And that's another reason for playing jokes, Kispre; being an apprentice means accepting responsibility. But many apprentices are still very young, just children; and doing silly things is a reaction to having to be responsible, a part of growing up, getting through doing the childish things while it's still acceptable and gradually learning more and more to accept responsibility. And daft jokes that are to be expected from girls as young as Ambreen and Sheesha would be shameful if played by a big boy like Alaran."

Kispre nodded gravely.

"I see" he said politely; and Elissa knew that he did understand or he would have asked more! He added, "Did you play jokes when you were growing up?"

Elissa laughed.

"Just for kicks and giggles? No, I'm afraid it never occurred to me; though my friend Serehana and I played some dreadful tricks on some of the more awful candidates to pay them back for disrespecting weyrfolk, running from apple pie beds to rigging one lazy girl's bed with bells so every move she made set off a cacophony! I don't think the weyrbred play as many jokes as apprentices, really; we're trained to take responsibility from an early age and when you've grown up running errands with pots of numbweed for Threadscored dragons and Riders, I suppose it makes you a lot more serious! Maybe I was boring; but Serahana and I managed to have a great deal of fun and earn our fair share of spankings too for doing things no-one elase had thought of forbidding, though I have to say it's young Sagarra who carries the laurels for that sort of thing! And of course we spent a great deal of time logicating; just playing at it at first, but learning as we went. And that's been very useful here, and we've a full blown logicator group running."

"Tell us about logicating!" pleaded Ambreen "Daddy's getting Kyal to teach people!"

Elissa obliged, telling a few of the less frightening stories.

"I'm not sure the big ones would much like to have you little ones involved" she said "But you could form a junior logicators group; perhaps Beka or Lianka or Kisra would lead you if you asked nicely. Kisra's a keen logicator but sometimes the big ones leave her out a bit; why don't you go to her and ask her to be your junior logicator journeyman? And no reason Kispre should not join in too, if you want, lad."

"Daddy Gerney's a logicator" said Kispre; which meant 'yes'. In Kispre's eyes, Gerney could do no wrong!

It was a blessed relief for all.

Having the attention of the more lively little girls diverted into logicating may have been a little trying for older woodcrafters in some respects as the new logicators firmly pursued and observed people; but it was less wearing on the whole than wondering continually what might turn up in the bottom of the bed!

Sifora too did not consider logicating a waste of time, once she understood that it could really help people; and Elissa was relieved that the child had a fun occupation and one that kept her in contact with other children her own age. Kisra had avoided being old for her turns and priggish for being the baby of her family, and with older cousins too like L'sya and Alaran, but Elissa was glad that Sifora had an outside hobby, to prevent her getting stale in her work as well as to avoid being middle aged prematurely! Had she, Elissa, not had Serehana as a friend and logicating to occupy her leisure, she could well have become quite stuffy herself – though Sadvia had often enough intimated she thought her weyrbred friend still needed to lighten up a bit!

With the new intake of apprentices settled in, Master Bendarek broached the idea to the other masters of taking some paying students who would learn techniques as a hobby rather than take a full apprenticeship.

"The minercraft after all teaches gem cutting, and the weavercraft instructs Ranking ladies in weaving and sewing, and the Harpercraft teaches some basic musical skills and singing to the Ranking" he said. "The ability to make small items from wood might be appreciated too."

"Not on my lathes" said Gerney, uncompromisingly.

"I was thinking of having boys as well as girls" said Bendarek mildly.

"NOT on my lathes" said Gerney again. "IF any showed talent – and sense – on other aspects of the craft I'll consider again on a case by case basis; but generally speaking, NO."

Tuon had looked interested, and a little disappointed at the idea of boys coming too; but nodded to Bendarek.

"I'm happy to make marquetry available" he said "Though like Gerney I'm inclined to balk at having amateurs play with inlay."

"Shards, are we actually in agreement about something?" grinned Gerney lazily.

"Apparently" said Tuon. "Besides, we're also in agreement over where Kispre, Preslan and Kilaia are better off; and what we think about Prelaia."

Gerney grinned.

"Well well! But then, you're experienced enough with women to see right through her!"

"Masters, please" Bendarek interrupted "Anyone else want to comment?"

"Waste of time" grunted Jaben, at least as much because he wanted to take the opposite view to Tuon as because he hated the idea.

"A patient journeyman like Telfer or Arkis might take them through small-scale basic jointing if they want to learn" ventured Tuon. "I can't see amateurs wanting to go beyond making boxes; peg joints would be quite sufficient to their needs, or even block joints."

Bendarek nodded.

"And time enough to take them further if they've the inclination. KISRA could teach that; no need, Jaben, to waste a Master's valuable time, your skills go far beyond what they would need."

There was some laughter at suggesting the twelve-turn-old as a teacher; though some rueful acceptance that the serious little girl was probably up to the task at that!

Jaben, ready to take offence at the thought of another teaching his speciality was mollified by Bendarek's comments that his time was too valuable!

"If you ask me, it'd even be a waste o' Kisra's time too" he grunted "She's FAR too good to waste on overdressed idiots!"

"I'd be happy to let Arkis teach free carving" boomed Master Isimy. "That, marquetry and basic box making would, I should think, cover most skills they'd want as a hobby. We can always think of fretwork for the particularly steady handed once they proved themselves. Rich enough to pay to learn, rich enough to buy veneers and dyed ones at that. It'd boost sales if there are some amateurs out there wishful to purchase raw materials. And what little they make isn't going to eat into our sale of finished items. As Tuon and Gerney say, time enough to let 'em learn more if they prove themselves serious and not in the least bit frivolous."

There was general laughter; it was an ongoing joke that the young Hallon, growing up, regularly accused his uncle Arkis, of an age with him and his closest crony, of being frivolous.

"Good; I'll let it be known that we'll consider paying students" said Bendarek. "I thought no more than half a dozen at first and for only half a turn, not the whole turn round. If we find the idea doesn't work we can refuse to take more. If it does, that will subsidise a dozen apprentices for a turn so we may take in potential real craftsmen who can't afford the apprenticeship fee."

There were murmurs of assent to that!

"And if any DO prove more adequate you could offer to extend THEIR time to a full Turn" suggested Gerney.

Bendarek nodded.

"Yes; I like that. Maintain flexibility" he said.

"And where" demanded Elissa of Gerney when he told her "Are these precious paying students going to live? And WHO is to be in charge of them? The boys need a man and the girls a woman."

Gerney shrugged.

"Decisions like that belong to Ben; it's why he gets paid to be Woodcraftmaster and I don't. He accepts these little administrative headaches, him and his wife. As a suggestion, I'd point out that Kislan's craftcot is empty. The boys can sleep in the room Kispre and Preslan had, the girls in Kilaia's old room. Kislan built the place big enough to house three of either. And I guess a married couple will have to move in to keep an eye on them; they'll just have to take their turns with the bathing room."

"So long as Isrona don't get the girls lumbered onto her; and I refuse point blank to take them" said Elissa. "I'm not having a bunch of idiot girls upsetting our kids!"

"You don't know they'll be idiots" said Gerney, mildly.

"No; but if all they're interested in is hobbies there'll be at least one who is, I wager" said Elissa. "Ranking candidates are the veriest pain, all airs and graces and expecting to be waited on. Which reminds, me, Gerney, I DO need a drudge. I can shift to do for us as well as my crafting without extra babes; but I never really expected to take on really little ones. And happy as I am to have Preslan and Kilaia" she smiled at them "I could do with help around the cot if I'm to do well by them; and teach; and work. For I'll not give up my craft just to keep house."

"Mother said a drudge was essential to a lady and only a low born could do menial work" said Kilaia.

"Well, any woman should know HOW to do menial work; it's nothing to do with high or low born, and it's rudery to speak of another's birth you know!" said Elissa "Those who have talent should have it developed; some people who drudge can do nothing else and get job satisfaction from doing what they can do well. And some people are talented at cleaning and cooking and things! I'm not; my talent is with lathe."

"And it would be a sinful waste for you to give up your craft to keep house" said Gerney. "I'll put out word; there are plenty of outlying cots where older girls would either like the chance of a more cosmopolitan existence or an excuse to avoid marriage."

"What's cos-mo-polly-tan?" asked Kispre.

"Getting to meet more people and see different things" answered Elissa calmly "And try not to ask questions with a full mouth, I've better things to do than whack you on the back because you choke on it."

Kispre nodded, chewed and swallowed too big a lump and said

"Sorry" as he swallowed hard on a threatened cough.

Reasons like avoiding choking were better ones in his opinion than just being impolite.

As it happened, Bendarek had addressed the idea of accommodating the paying students. He fully intended to make use of the vacant craftcot; and in preparation had recalled to the Hall an ageing Journeyman who had written that Joint-ail made him no longer able to give his best efforts. The man, Journeyman Willin, had a wife, craftbred but not trained, called Relina, who could chaperone the girls. Willin was generally a quiet man, but whose turns building boats in a seahold had given him a turn for a quick burst of seahold invective if the occasion warranted; and Relina had the quiet stubbornness that would not cave in to spoiled girls. Bendarek thought they would do very well; and Willin was so pleased to be able to continue to serve the craft he loved, not have to be a pensioner, he almost wept for joy!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The girl Dorelly was not perhaps very clever; and she was perhaps rather fond of her own adornment. But she was a cheerful and willing girl, and shrewd enough; and if she planned to flirt with Journeyman on her time off, that, in Elissa's mind, was the girl's own business. Elissa explained, rather bluntly, that if she intended to muck around with the boys, it was expected that she would both be discreet and use herbs to prevent an unwanted pregnancy.

Dorelly got interested at this; nobody had ever told her there were herbs to stop unwanted pregnancies; her mother's advice had been to be a good girl! Elissa therefore found herself giving a lesson on how to prepare and use the contraceptive preparations. Elissa did not believe in the concept of a 'good girl' once a bold eyed damsel was out from under the eye of her mother; and did not feel that she had any right to impose a blanket ban on sexual behaviour on a girl at least her own age, even if she believed for one moment the girl would obey! Besides, it went against Elissa's upbringing of autonomy over one's own body. Herbs went a good way to increasing that autonomy; and so she told Dorelly.

"Sometimes they don't work" she said "If you think you're pregnant, don't shilly shally, but tell me IMMEDIATELY; and we can discuss whether you want to take a pregnancy _Between_ – I can arrange that, though I'm told it's far more unpleasant than aborting with herbs" she wanted to emphasise the unpleasantness in case the girl should get careless "Or if you decide to keep any baby we shall discuss if you give it up for fostering or keep it. Providing you take care of your end of the bargain and do your best to be careful, I'll take care of you."

Dorelly was delighted; that was better than she might have expected from her partents who would have thrown her out if she got pregnant!

She was also happy to be concerned only with cleaning and some cooking in the evenings. It was a much softer life than she had known in a cothold, with livestock to see to, weeding vegetables, younger siblings to keep out of trouble, weaving and sewing and cooking for every meal besides. Here she was fed, clothed and given some pay besides! And since Journeyman Elissa only required her part time – largely because Elissa could not bear the idea of the girl's rather inane chatter for too long at a stretch – Dorelly thought it might be worth seeing if others would pay her to drudge for a few hours every sevenday, and so save herself a really respectable dowry! She enjoyed the softer life, but even so the girl was no slacker and was fully prepared to work as hard as it took to save well! The girls was certain that she had really landed on her feet the day she had decided to go with the travelling marksman who had the news that a journeyman was looking for a drudge! To be sure, it was a little disappointing that the Journeyman was a woman, so there was no possibility of engineering a marriage; but there were plenty of unattached Journeymen about, and Masters too for that matter!

THAT would be a real step up for a cotbred girl!

Meanwhile, personal maid to a Master's wife – as she had styled herself when visiting the nearby Hold – was a cut above any old drudge or a cotholder's second daughter!

Elissa told herself she did not actually have to like the girl so long as she had nothing to really DISlike about her.

The young Journeyman was also at pains to tell Ambreen and Sheesha to keep out of Dorelly's way; because interfering with servants – which playing jokes on them most certainly was – was the worst of ill-bred bad manners and ill conduct.

That went home with Ambreen particularly for her father would have something to say if she acted in a way that could be judged ill-bred!

It was however perhaps as well that Elissa was out of earshot when Sheesha sighed and said,

"Oh fardles! And I had heaps of good ideas!"

"I don't 'spect they'll go to waste" said Ambreen "We'll be sure to be able to adapt them! And Elissa didn't say we couldn't logicate Dorelly!"

Logicating Dorelly was quite an education; the girl flirted her way through all those apprentices likely – in her estimation – to be made journeymen soon, as well as through as many Journeymen as she could manage.

It was to prove the first real case for the junior logicators. They were busy – all of them – eavesdropping on Dorelly, utterly unconscious of their presence, saying rather coyly that she was not certain she would want to go all the way as she was a GOOD girl. A male voice replied,

"That's all right; I don't want to go all the way. But I'd pay well for a little service to me, to give me pleasure"

Beka gasped in terror, holding in the gasp with both hands.

"What?" whispered Ambreen.

Kisra too had gone white.

Dorelly was busy disclaiming – not very convincingly – not being for sale.

"It's Batol" said Kisra, coldly in a whisper "Who used to be a Master – he's the one tried to make Beka hurt herself!" she put an arm round the shaking Beka "I 'member Master Bendarek said he had strange sexual tastes – I bet Dorelly won't like it. Beka, run and get Cousin Gerney; we'll keep guard."

Beka nodded and ran off thankfully. Batol terrified her!

From the rustles of clothing and embarrassed giggles, Dorelly had plainly been induced to strip; the workshop the two were in was at a considerable distance from the main buildings, reachable only from above ground and so inaccessible during Fall. It contained tools and a grindwheel. Kisra bit her lip; she should have realised sooner this was now Batol's province, where he kept tools in good condition and made new ones, well away from the children he had delighted in tormenting.

"This is a bit…unusual….isn't it?" Dorelly's voice spoke. It was more amused than scared.

"I like my chickens well trussed" said Bato.

Lianka was white and sweating.

"He's like Sandrina! He's like Sandrina!" her whisper was almost hysterical.

"And we can stop him too!" said Kisra, stoutly. "If he hurts her before Gerney comes we all jump on him!"

"But he's a JOURNRYMAN!" Ambreen was shocked.

"Not if he doesn't act with the dignity of his rank" said Sifora disapprovingly. "Using his Rank against a Hall dependant disqualifies him from respect, doesn't it Kisra?"

Kisra nodded.

"Oh where is Beka?" Lianka half sobbed.

Beka had run Gerney to earth talking to Challer up at the mill, after being sent on from the latheshop. She hopped from foot to foot as they talked, and finally burst out,

"I don't mean to be rude but it's IMPORTANT!"

Gerney took one look at her white, agitated little face and drew her to him.

"What is it, Beka?"

"Bad man, made me cut wrists, doing bad to Dorelly!"

Stress made Beka revert to the babyish way of speaking she had grown out of under Elissa's and Gerney's love.

Gerney gave her a quick hug.

"Challer, come with me!" Gerney snapped "Show me where, darling!"

Dorelly's scream of pain and outrage galvanised the hidden apprentices into action.

"Stop! Stop, I don't want – AAAGH!" the girl cried.

Batol was laughing, and panting more with sadistic lust than with exertion as he raised the whip in his hand again.

Kisra leapt for the whip hand while Lianka grabbed the other wrist. By common consent they both sank their teeth in deep. The younger girls grabbed the man's legs and Kispre fastened his teeth into his ankle.

Batol started swearing.

"We're here to rescue you, Dorelly!" shouted Ambreen "Master Gerney is coming!"

"Masters Gerney and Challer have come" said Gerney's voice, coldly from the doorway. "Girls, Kispre, you can let go now; untie Dorelly and help her to get dressed and take her to Elissa for numbweed and comfort. Batol; YOU are coming to Bendarek."

Batol's face had an ugly look.

"Always interfering, aren't you Gerney? Over that stupid little dimglow first" he indicated Beka "and now?"

"You are out of line to speak so of an apprentice; and to speak so to a Master" said Gerney coldly.

"Hah! I know why you wanted to entice her, it's because YOU like screwing children – that Weyrgirl's on the young side for a NORMAL man, reckon she's grown too old for you!"

Gerney was furious! Challer put a hand on his arm.

"We all know it's a ridiculous suggestion, Gerney" he rumbled softly "Anyone can see those girls have LOST the look of being abused!"

"He is calling my parenting into disrepute and making the most filthy allegations!" said Gerney.

"To save his own skin. Help me take him before Ben; it's his pigeon now."

The children took a sobbing Dorelly to Elissa, where the journeyman applied numbweed while she heard the story and cried out in indignation.

"WELL! And Ben KNEW too! I suppose while he paid girls who knew what he wanted and were willing, that's one thing….my poor girl, what a dreadful shock!"

"I thought he just wanted me to suck him off" sobbed Dorelly "Not THAT!"

"What's suck him off?" asked Kispre.

"It's a grown up thing to do with sex that you're too young to ask questions about. When you're old enough to want sex, that's the age to ask questions" said Elissa "You're good logicators; and now this is grown up lady business, so scram and find Saranna and tell her I said you may have applecakes or bubbly pie."

That was enough incentive to make them leave!

Elissa soothed Dorelly, and gently explained a few facts of life about perverts to her.

"Does Master Gerney screw little girls? That man said he does!" she asked.

"Lying little turd! No of course he doesn't!" said Elissa. "Think sense girl; if he did not only would I not have married him I'd have killed him!"

Dorelly goggled.

With anyone else that might have been a cliché; but something about Elissa made Dorelly think that the journeyman might well have done just that!

Bendarek was furious.

"This is the outside of enough!" I gave you a second chance in the Hall because of your skill! You shall pay a fine to the girl for your ill usage of her; and I've been asked for a woodcrafter capable of cutting pit props in a minehold where there are no women at all. You leave tonight!"

"So Gerney screwing little girls is all right?" demanded Batol.

"You stupid fool" said Bendarek "Do you think no man can show compassion without being driven by sex? No, I don't think you DO understand that! It's you and your cousin Sandrina that are the ones with the cruel kink in your natures! If you slander Gerney again, I'll ask a Bronze Rider – and NOT H'llon – to get his dragon to read Gerney's mind about that to clear his name, and then hie you up before Lord Asgenar for slander! He takes the taking away of another's character most seriously, you know; I heard he enacts on the malicious the punishment that he'd lay for the crime they make accusation of – so you'd hang or be chained out in Fall!"

Batol looked sullen and furious.

All for a moment's temptation over that silly girl Dorelly, so plump and stupid and ripe for pain!

He did NOT want any of his doings to go before Lord Asgenar however; the Lord had a reputation for caring about the welfare of the least of his people. And if he had been wrong about Gerney…..it had seemed so obvious, why else would a man take brats into his household but for his own pleasures? No-one else seemed to see it….could he be wrong? He did not want to risk it!

"Anything else?" he asked huffily.

"Only one thing JOURNEYMAN" Bendarek emphasised Batol's previous demotion "If I EVER hear about you again it'll be too soon."

Bendarek was not very happy.

Sending away two journeymen under disciplinary circumstances inside two months of each other was fairly unprecedented; but better than keeping either where an incident might occur necessitating more serious action. Sending Kislan and his wife away had certainly had a positive effect on the children; Preslan and Kilaia were more evident, playing and seeming quite happy. And Kispre had already started to blossom since fostering with Gerney and Elissa. Their grandparents too looked less careworn; Bendarek could not imagine what it must be like to have a daughter-in-law like Prelaia in the ear every day; and hoped he would never find out! And how hard too to have your oldest child resenting and hating his own younger brother!

At least with both Kislan and Batol gone it was unlikely that any paying student would be likely to suffer any serious insult. Bendarek sighed. Every craft – presumably – had its rotten apples. He must not feel depressed at having had to deal with several of them in relatively short order.

At least he had the benefit of logicators!

Even the junior branch seemed capable of doing its bit! And far better mischief for such young limbs as Ambreen and Sheesha to be involved in than some of the pranks they might get up to!

The logicators – the older ones – were moved to praise their youthful emulators with a

"Not bad, you kids!" in the eating hall.

From a mighty being like Journeyman Telfer, that went down VERY well!

Of course, the junior logicators could not always get it right.

When D'vind and Ch'sseri brought a woman called Lady Petrilla to stay overnight, the children were convinced that the self-contained red-haired woman was a dragonlady who kept herself to herself because her dragon had died!

Neither Elissa nor Gerney enlightened them to the true state of affairs; that Petrilla went on behalf of High Reaches Weyr to investigate the Holdless caverns at Igen. Some might have called it interference if it got about – and the two adults did not fully trust the discretion of young and heedless tongues when there was exciting news!

The upsets of the early part of the turn were quite driven away – from the minds of the youngest at least – by the Spring Gather at the small Hold that served the Woodcrafter Hall, presided over by Sadvia's and Kyal's parents, Holder Syal and his wife Kimetta; though Ambreen sniffed firmly and determined NOT to feel homesick and to be a proper apprentice and NOT to run to her parents if she saw them!

The littlest had not managed to make anything for stamping for sale for this Gather; the delight of earning for themselves was as yet ahead of them! Tahnee, Lianka, Kisra and even Beka had some goods on offer, that they anxiously presented to the appropriate masters!

Beka had been turning decorative bobbins for lacework; and had also carved some spoons, simple and functional and yet elegant. Lianka, for whom turning was her first love, had made turned spice boxes, lined by the method Elissa had pioneered, with soapstone, also turned to fit exactly within. Kisra had made more conventional boxes with meticulous yet restrained carvings on the lids of knotwork, intricately done. Tahnee had a few turned boxes, further embellished with delicate carvings on the top; and had combined with Alaran to make more printed copies of the little herbal he and Elissa had started, extended and enlarged; and printed also an illustrated copy of Menolly's popular firelizard song, with chirpy firelizards flying about its edge and between the words, hand coloured and each framed in plain, but meticulously mitred frames. The illustrated verses were pretty things, and Tahnee had run off a number of copies beyond those she had framed, hoping to bind a book of songs one day!

The last month or so of the previous turn had seen the idea of printing staves for musicians to write tunes on; and the Harperweyr had been good and enthusiastic customers, and T'rin had proceeded to introduce the idea to Master Robinton. If the Harper Hall would pay for her invention, Tahnee knew that even cheap printed leaves would soon add up to a good price; because once the Harper Hall used a few, the demand would increase! And then she would be independent and able to pay her way and pay back in work all that the Woodcrafter Hall had given her and her sister! And people liked songs too, and with the music printed as well as the words – once she could carve more songs– then they would not have to transcribe it! Tahnee had no idea how to transcribe music; she had asked the Hall Harper to make a neat copy of the firelizard song – for which she had scrupulously paid him – for she could copy anything in wood and was in no wise thrown to transfer it to a mirror image as she copied and carved. Indeed in this instance NOT reading music was perhaps an advantage; for not seeing anything but a pattern to carve!

It was rather a wet Gather; but that in no wise dampened the spirits of the excited children! Tahnee grinned indulgently as small ones ran about shouting gleefully – how different it was from the first Gather they had attended so soon after being rescued from Sandrina's cot, when they all clung close to Elissa!

"Will you dance later, Tahnee?" Margand asked.

"I don't know if I'm allowed to stay up" said Tahnee, taken aback. "I say! D'you mean you want to dance with me?"

Margand flushed.

"I'd like to" he said gruffly.

Tahnee blinked in surprise.

"I don't think I'm old enough for romance yet, you know, Margand" she said candidly "But I'd rather dance with you than anyone else, I guess. Shall I ask Father Gerney if I may stay for one dance if you see me home?"

Margand flushed even deeper.

"I'd like that if he'll permit you" he said.

Gerney was as taken aback by the request as Tahnee had been.

"Are you really that old, Tahnee?" he asked.

"Well, not really, father; but I like Margand and I guess it can't hurt; I told him I'm not after romance" said Tahnee.

"Very well; just one dance providing he sees you home" agreed Gerney. "No kissing!"

Tahnee grinned.

"I don't want to kiss anyone yet" she said.

It was a good day; and Margand made a goodly number of marks from his intricately carved chests and boxes and insisted on treating Tahnee, Lianka and Beka to klah and cakes.

"I'm not sure if I really fancy you in a grown up sort of way or not either" he said abruptly to Tahnee "But I like you a whole load."

"We can be friends without romance" said Tahnee. "You're my family too by adoption; and you take the craft as seriously as anyone who's been born to it!"

Used by now to the single-mindedness of most of H'llon's kin, Margand laughed.

It was fun to dance together; and then wander home in the dark, the moons shining fitfully through scudding clouds, just enjoying a comradely silence!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Margand was blossoming enough to make other friends besides Tahnee; the logicators had just accepted him and he had been responsible for drawing the more serious of the two older arrivals in to the logicators too. Velit was unwilling to do anything to distract himself from his work; but finding that Master Gerney encouraged logicating for the sake of its usefulness as well as a rest for the mind from too much work; so the boy joined the group fairly willingly! It also enhanced his opinion of dragonfolk that they used logicating to help people; having been previously rather dubious about whether they truly earned their exalted status, since grubs protected the trees! Once D'vind and Ch'sseri had visited several times, deferring to both Elissa and Gerney, Velit was ready to change his mind; and on H'llon's next visit, the Bronze Rider behaving like any other woodcrafter, Velit was thoroughly convinced that the dragonfolk he and his family had ever had anything to do with must be aberrations! He said so.

"Wager you come from Telgar" said Elissa when the boy voiced his opinion.

"Why, yes, actually I do. How can you tell?"

Elissa snorted.

"I'd not criticise any dragonfolk to non dragonfolk; and they do their duty and fight Thread. But at High Reaches we find them less….friendly than is desirable" she said.

This was the first time Velit had heard about Elissa being weyrbred!

H'lln's visit also enablednMargand to make his affidavit of self defence; and H'lon took the matter very seriously, promising the boy to have the matter thoroughly investigated in case there were other victims of the man!

The Bronze Rider was also taken aback when Gerney asked for Melth to check truth that he never laid on nor even desired to lay hands on little girls in an inappropriate way.

"Has anyone suggested that you have?" asked H'llon, grimly.

"Batol; and before other Masters too" said Gerney "Ben did not believe his slanders, but I'd like the word of a Bronze Dragon to back me just in case."

"First Egg! I think I'll go and pound the little creep some more!" cried H'llon, who had taken some personal revenge on Batol when the man had been demoted and so no higher in the craft than H'llon himself at the time.

"No you won't; for one thing he's been sent off to some minehold. For another my boy you have tassels of seniority; it would be inappropriate" Gerney was adamant.

H'llon said one or two things he had learned from such of his seabred friends as L'gani and V'gion.

Gerney was quite right; and H'llon would never dream of breaking protocol to put a lower ranking journeyman in so invidious a position, however much he disliked him!

H'llon made visits to both Lord Laudey and to The Masterharper; and neither was pleased to learn of the behaviour of the dead Harper. Laudey wrote a warrant for Margand citing the specific act in which he acted in self defence to exonerate him from any blame; and asked H'llon to countersign it. After H'llon had explained matter to Master Robinton, the Masterharper also countersigned it.

"Occasionally we make mistakes" he said to H'llon in his beautiful melodious voice. "He did not hurt any of my apprentices – at least so far as I am aware; and I usually know the bullying and abuses that go on so I can stop them if the boys do not sort things out for themselves."

"Like the Weyr" nodded H'llon "Harpers protect, in their own way, like dragonmen. They have to learn to stand on their own feet first and you have to find which ones are the leaders who can help others do so."

"Exactly" said Robinton. "Tender my apologies to this lad; I have no excuse. It was an error to make this man Journeyman even; but he hid his aberrant desires too well."

Margand was amazed and touched at the trouble the Bronze Rider had gone to; and at the warrant; and to receive an apology from the Masterharper himself!

"And it's not his FAULT at all!" he said.

"He feels it is though" said H'llon "As we all feel ashamed when a woodcrafter behaves badly."

Margand nodded.

He had soon earned his senior apprentice tassels. And felt very deeply if any of the youngsters he now helped to oversee let him down with laziness or bad behaviour!

With the coming of spring came too the paying students; there were three boys, or rather, young men; and three girls.

"I'm so glad they're not to share with us" said Tahnee to Sadvia. "I think I'd dislike Ranking girls."

Sadvia stared at her; then burst out laughing.

"What?" demanded Tahnee.

"Tahnee, you poor prune, I'M Ranking!" said Sadvia.

"Oh! I forgot!" said Tahnee "But don't worry; nobody would ever think so, because you're so nice. Why are you giggling at me?"

"I'm laughing at your bigotry and prejudice, my good child" said Sadvia "When you PRIDE yourself on fairness!"

Tahnee frowned in thought, considering that.

"I suppose you're right" she said "But the upbringing of the Ranking does often seem to predispose them to being spoilt, mimsy, and thoroughly nasty."

"I do have to go with that, actually" said Sadvia, pulling a rueful face. "Kyal and I fostered briefly and hated it; that's when we decided that being apprentices would be more fun and more use too. And one of my sisters fostered and was turned quite horrid by the girls she was with. She seems to have got over it but she was rather snobby for a while."

"Oh I'm glad it's not just me being bigoted" said Tahnee "I'd hate to think it WAS all in my head. Though I guess too it's not totally bigotry, 'cos I'm kind of sorry for them; it must be horrid to be nasty and not have any real friends, and so I'm sorry that they are. And I guess if I was prejudiced against them without reasonable foundation that would make me just as nasty, wouldn't it?"

Sadvia laughed again and embraced the younger girl.

"I almost followed that!" she said. "You're a dear, Tahnee; and so very brave. I guess you're allowed a few prejudices with reasonable foundation!"

Telfer reported to the logicators that there was a chance that one of the Ranking young men might join the Woodcrafters properly.

"Of course it would normally be disgraceful that a young man already twenty three should be an apprentice; but he's seabred and it was just assumed for him that he'd be a fisherman" said Telfer. "The offering of classes here enabled him to plead his case to the Holder – Liemi's own father – to come to improve his boat building skills. He's a natural, and I've put his case to Master Bendarek and The Master is thinking on it. Only if he DOES transfer, I'll expect the rest of you to not let the others tease him for being so old."

"It's no different than being held back through illness or handicap, though, is it" said Alaran "Like your eyes, old man; only his handicap is a seabred father."

"Exactly" said Telfer. "Raveny's all right; he's a brother of a Holder of a newish Hold in Crom who's on good terms with High Reaches Weyrfolk; Rav's a good type and he'd like to be a logicator. He heard about the group at High Reaches; and when I mentioned it in passing he was delighted and eager."

"We'll accept anyone who's willing; you know that, Telfer" said Elissa.

"I know we do; but I wanted to prepare you all first!" he said seriously. "I know a lot of us here are at least wary of the Ranking! And with people like the third boy, Nekul, from Nabol, it's scarcely surprising. Oh, no bullying – yet, anyhow – just, well…..I don't like his manner; I find him sneering" he added in answer to unspoken questions. "I don't think the girls will prove any trouble" he went on. "Claria, she's the oldest, tries to boss the others but she's such a ham-handed creature she has to spend more time concentrating than bossing or I want to know the reason why. She's not left handed; I asked. She does love the feel, look and smell of wood which is her saving grace. Jerra I'm keeping an eye on: she's got no patience and when Liemi helped her with a joint she let me think she'd done it herself."

"That's downright dishonest!" protested Tahnee; and there were murmurs of assent!

"THAT's why I'm keeping an eye on her" said Telfer grimly. "Dishonest in one thing, dishonest in others. I give her some benefit of the doubt that she was too nervous to admit to it; it's the only other reason than dishonesty. At least the last, Murade, is really quite all right. She's from an inland Hold but she's vaguely related to Menolly, though she's never mey her. She's a happy enough girl, seems quite a warm natured child. She asked if the littlest apprentices ever felt homesick because she did and being as old as she is – which is sixteen – it must be worse for such babes. I thought that was nice of her."

Elissa nodded approval.

"We'll have her to tea I think" she said "You can get her logicating too; compassion is a big part of it. And the more logicating spreads, the more good is done."

Raveny and Murade came willingly to join the logicators; and Liemi came too, as much to make social contact with other woodcrafters as for its own sake. The Paying students had much more leisure than the apprentices, so finding time to logicate was no hardship for them!

Gerney also, taking Telfer's recommendation seriously, gave Liemi a trial on the lathe; and found him sufficiently satisfactory to take on in the corner of another class. Liemi did not mind being in with youngsters; he was just thrilled to be learning something he had not known he had yearned for all his life! Neither Raveny nor Murade was drawn to ask about trying out turning; so Gerney did not bother to offer. Liemi was however worth bringing on in all aspects of woodcarving; and he had, mending and building boats, covered most basic techniques in jointing and tool care, so at least would not have to work with the smallest apprentices in those basic classes.

He was joined by a senior apprentice in the corner of the turning class; Sadvia was impressed by both Margand's tenacity and by Liemi's determination; and she knew that if she could turn it might increase her chances of becoming a journeyman. Though she had trouble treadling she asked Gerney for a second chance to try; and he granted it to her. Her brother had managed to learn after all; and Sadvia had grown up a lot over the last turn to admit she had been a bit of a quitter.

It was hard; but Sadvia WANTED her journeyman's knots!

Murade gave up some of her free time to help Elissa with the children by playing with them and telling stories while Elissa worked; and Elissa was grateful. Dorelly's idea of looking after children was to shut them in a room away from her own work with a bucket for toilet needs, a doorstep of bread and dripping each and a few toys. It was not childcare in Elissa's opinion and Dorolly was not given the care of the children. Having someone to watch and play with the ones too young to apprentice gave Elissa more time to work! The young journeyman quietly explained the odd quirks in her husband's family that surfaced in two of her fosterlings; and Murade was fascinated and sympathetic towards them in equal measure. She did her best to avoid figures of speech that they found hard to comprehend, and the incomplete questions such as so annoyed Kispre! She was tremendously proud of her cousin Menolly – several times removed as she laughingly put it, and, as she added dryly the better for being well removed from that dead and alive fish-hole to the Harper Hall. She bought one of the framed copies of the firelizard song that had not sold, the only one that had not! She also commissioned Tahnee to carve a different frame, crawling with firelizards, for which she offered four whole marks for the work plus the cost of materials! Tahnee was much gratified and determined to make the carven firelizards look as though they were about to fly right out of the wood!

Murade was glad to make friends. She did not like either of the other girls in the Paying students' dormitory, and was delighted to find such nice girls as Elissa and Sadvia who were much more to her tastes!

Sadvia managed to get leave to visit her parents; and took Murade with her, and Elissa grinned to herself at her friend's persistent and transparent plans to get her twin married to someone of whom she approved!

It would not be an inappropriate match in the eyes of either family; but Elissa was a believer in letting people sort out their own affairs, unless they were too shy to stir their stumps and needed a little pushing! Like Telfer, who certainly admired Sadvia but was shy about speaking up. They had certainly danced together at the Gather; and went around together. Even so, Elissa wondered if it really was little more than friendship and convenience – at least on Sadvia's part! That Telfer thought Sadvia beautiful, Elissa knew, but there had to be more to it than that if there was to be a lasting relationship in it for them. Even sharing a craft might not be enough, for Kyal had proposed to Elissa on just those grounds and she had felt no hesitation in refusing. Elissa reflected that Telfer might do well to return to the Weyr for a while to work with H'llon; and see how much he and Sadvia missed each other. Interfering would have been to have H'llon suggest it, requesting Telfer as an assistant; but that was not Elissa's way. If things looked unresolved still in another turn she would suggest it to Telfer and let him make his own decision. For the time being she was more concerned by Margand's attraction to Tahnee. The boy was still fragile enough to be hurt by downright rejection; but Tahnee was her fosterling and friend and Elissa was more concerned that SHE did not get hurt. Sexually abused by Sandrina, Tahnee trusted Elissa's word that sex was good with the right person; and Elissa was keen to see that the girl ended up – when the time was right – with the right person. To her mind, Margand was too young and too insecure to be good for Tahnee; the girl was rather in the habit of looking after people, as she had always looked after her sister Lianka and the other girls, and she was now rather looking after Margand. In Elissa's opinion, the younger girl needed someone on whom she could herself lean, someone to take care of her. And Elissa had every intention of breaking her normal rule and interfering on behalf of her fosterling if need be!

It was in any case far too soon for Tahnee to be thinking about attachments; she needed time to regain that stolen childhood before needing to worry about that! Of course if she fell in love, she would not regard that; but Elissa saw no signs of love or lust in her young charge.

She was glad.

Tahnee DESERVED some childhood!

Meanwhile, Tahnee's sister Lianka had made a declaration of her own romantic intent.

She planned to marry Alaran when she grew up because he loved turning and was not soppy like a lot of boys.

At that, thought Elissa, the reasons were not so very strange and could apply equally well to her own relationship with Gerney!

Alaran had laughed kindly, not taking the little girl seriously, and said,

"Oh well, funny face I could go further and do worse!"

At the same chronological age as Margand, Alaran was turns older in other ways; and Elissa privately thought that Lianka's plans might even yet bear fruit in several turns' time! She would be happy for any of her fosterlings to end up with her best friend Alaran; he was a sensible young man and a fine crafter. And a good logicator at that; even if he had failed to logicate the romance between Elissa and Gerney under his very nose!

Murade had some difficulty over giving of her time to Elissa; for Claria predictably tried to boss Murade into not spending her time with people born First Egg knew where; and Murade smiled sweetly and said that she knew where and Sadvia was the eldest daughter of the local Holder and Elissa had been born in the Weyr and both seriously outranked the niece of some crummy little Hold in Telgar – Claria's own origin – even if it was the business of the second rate relative of a third rate crummy little Hold in Telgar anyway. Which it wasn't, she added.

Claria lapsed into offended silence which suited Murade quite well.

On the whole, the paying students caused less disruption than Bendarek had feared they might. That three of them had been adopted by the logicators was good; and he was quite willing to consider Liemi's application for true apprenticeship. As Master of a still young craft, Bendarek was adaptable!

He spoke to the boy.

"I want you to do this half turn as arranged, my boy; with any extra hours the Masters are prepared to give you from their own time and yours. I've asked Masters Gerney and Idoghen to fit you into lessons; and Journeyman Arkis' betrothed, Journeyman Leichalle will give up some free time to start you off on the principles of arboriculture and logging before you spend time at the saw mill. In due course Master Tirris has agreed to let you study finishing – dyeing and varnish, as well as curing wood. Will you abide by that?"

"Sir, it's more than I'd hoped; thank you!"

"I've had good reports about your work; if you put in all the extra hours I've suggested over the period you're paid for I don't believe it will be long after that that I might post you up to Journeyman, as a man your age should be" said Bendarek. "That is down to you."

Liemi nodded.

"I'll make the grade" he said firmly "The logicators are helping me catch up the silly little things I'm missing."

Bendarek smiled fondly.

"They're a good crew" he said "Aim to be at the same level as Sadvia and Alaran; and you can't go far wrong."

"You'll be posting them Journeyman then sir?"

"I didn't say so. But yes; though I would rather you said nothing."

"I don't think I have to; Journeyman Elissa harangues them to pull out the stops where she thinks they're weak" he grinned "I guess she wants her friends to make the grade."

Bendarek nodded.

"Alaran's only held back on account of his youth" he said "But he's a serious minded boy; and will make a good friend to you, disregarding your age utterly. His only interest is is people love wood!"

Liemi nodded.

"I like him a lot" he said "And Telfer. Well, all of them really!"

"Good. It will be hard; and, I suspect, there will be hard words from your father too."

"He has other sons; and older ones than me too. He'll disown me I expect, but I never was an enthusiastic fisherman" shrugged Liemi, with a fatalistic sigh. I've made my choice now; and I'll abide by it. And when I am a journeyman I shall save up to pay back every last mark he spent to send me here so I am not beholden to him for anything."

He was, thought Bendarek, a very fine young man indeed!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The logicators soon had another problem to occupy their minds.

"Anyone know what's wrong with Journeyman Nesson?" asked Alaran "He's all short-tempered and jumpy. And I didn't quite like to leap in with both feet to ask what was up."

"Alaran learns tact? Wonders will never cease!" said Elissa cheerfully. "I'll ask him; he might take it better from another Journeyman."

"What if the poor man thinks you're trying to vamp him?" asked Sadvia "He's pretty shy!"

"Shy? It's not that, he's gay" said Elissa, matter of factly. "Haven't you seen him admiring Ch'sseri?"

"Oh that explains an awful lot" said Alaran. "Why he keeps a distance I mean – in case anyone thinks he's trying to seduce him. But he's jumpier than usual" Alaran was a lot more relaxed about homosexuals since the logicators' friendship with D'vind and Ch'sseri!

Elissa approached Nesson.

"What's the matter?" she asked bluntly "Did you mistake someone's preferences and got a nasty rebuffal?"

He stared, reddening.

"You KNOW?"

"Of course I do, Nessan, everyone does!" said Elissa with an airy disregard for strict accuracy. Everyone important to her old enough to understand knew; she'd just told them, in blithe assumption that they had already realised!

Nessan put his head in his hands and sobbed.

"Master Bendarek will send me away! They'll think I'm touching up the boys!"

"Why on earth should anyone think that?" asked Elissa, totally mystified. "You might as well say that people will think the other Journeymen are touching up the girls – or that I'M touching up the boys! Why should anyone think you fancy little boys? You fancy grown up men, don't you? And anyone who thinks you'd make a pass at another man unless you thought he fancied you has got to be idiotic!"

"You really don't realise, do you?" he asked.

Elissa shrugged.

"I know I'm not yet fully used to the peculiar notions of craftbred and holdbred people; just humour me and enlighten my ignorance my friend."

"People assume that homosexual means pervert" Nesson said bitterly. "But – do you mean Master Bendarek already knows?"

"I haven't a clue" said Elissa "Why? It's none of his business unless you take it into your head to throw someone like Master Challer roughly to the ground and take him without his consent in a flurry of sawdust!"

This raised a thin smile; Nesson was a slight young man, and the idea of wrestling huge Master Challer to the ground was funny in itself. He sighed.

"Someone wrote me a letter….said they knew what I was, that I was a dirty boy spoiler and that it was time the Master knew. They didn't have the decency to sign it."

Elissa's eyes narrowed.

"Ah. Poison pen" she said. "A well known phenomenon in the world of logicating. It IS time the Master knew – about the sick individual who wrote that. Such people rarely confine their written bullying to one person; it's better to stop it quickly."

"But – but he might send me away!"

"Then go to High Reaches. H'llon won't care providing that you do your job. And you might find a nice lover there too who wants entertaining when his dragon rises – and between that too!"

"You have all the answers, Elissa"

"To simple matters, yes! You'd be happy in the Weyr, I reckon; you gamble as hard as any dragonman. Think about it anyway as a matter of choice of your own – for when Ben DOESN'T throw you out! Come on!"

Bendarek listened to Elissa's concise summation, including her serene expectation that he had too much common sense to expel a man for his sexual preferences.

He nodded.

"Nesson, you're discreet enough, I've had no complaints about your personal behaviour" said Bendarek. "If this - poison pen, you call him – is going to spread things about, it may be embarrassing for you, lad; but I stand by my journeymen if they have not behaved improperly. I will make an announcement of this occurrence in broad terms; and let us hope that as Nessan had the sense to be frank with me this appalling prank will end."

"Excuse me, Master, but it's no prank" said Elissa "It's a crime. The people who do this sort of thing are sick in the head; it's a kind of attention seeking I think, someone who is a small person and feels powerless can make themselves feel big by making others squirm by having power by words to hurt and cause fear. And they hide behind anonymity partly because they don't have the guts to say such things to anyone's face and partly because it gives them yet another power, because people start suspecting each other."

Bendarek listened gravely; and nodded.

"I should then emphasise the childishness and small mindedness of this and pour scorn on the perpetrator."

"Others might – probably have had – letters; you should tell them, Master to come forward" said Elissa. "I'll tabulate when they got them – to the minute if I can – and do as we did about finding Rayenn by eliminating the possibilities. I'm sure I would have known if it had been going on long, and I'm certain it hasn't. Which means the most likely suspects are the new apprentices, one of the paying students or one of their cot guardians. And I don't like suspecting the old couple but I have to count them."

Bendarek nodded.

"I leave the investigation entirely in the able hands of the logicators" he said.

Elissa found her own poison pen letter waiting at the cot.

It said she was a weyrbred harlot who was sleeping with all the senior apprentices and journeymen. It was explicit and obscene.

It was some confirmation that the culprit was a recent addition to the Hall; there was none of Kislan's suggestion – that Elissa had heard about – that she had earned her promotion to Journeyman through sleeping the Masters.

As Kislan was still around speaking loosely and foolishly after the new apprentices had arrived, Elissa was inclined to narrow her suspicion to the paying students; who had, besides, the leisure time for such foolishness. Moreover, most of the new intake were too young to have such knowledge; only a few were older than twelve turns old. It did however leave such older youths as Margand, Birgel and Velit in the frame. Elissa was inclined to discount Velit as being too serious minded and Margand as being too hard at work. Margand might have written to Nesson, because of his own experiences; but personally she thought him more likely to confront the journeyman face to face. And he would not have had the urge to write so to her. Birgel was another matter; he had shown himself to have a weakness for practical jokes and very little self discipline or self control. It might be that this was intended as a joke of some kind. She could not, in any case, discount him out of hand. As a bit of an outsider he might have missed hearing Kislan's comments; Master Bendarek had stamped on them pretty quickly!

Elissa took her own note to Bendarek, apologising that she could only place a three-hour window of opportunity over when it was left.

"And as it's not sealed, I'm glad none of the children picked it up first" she said grimly "It's filthy."

Bendarek, glancing through, blanched and agreed.

"Someone with a grudge against journeymen?"

"Perhaps…if so I have a possible suspect. But when you call for others to come forward we'll see what we see" said Elissa.

At supper, Bendarek called for silence; and addressed the Hall.

"Some stupid and pathetic person is writing what I am told are called poison pen letters" he said. "They promulgate lies based on a shred of fact – or in some cases wild conjecture. They are slanderous and malicious and very, very childish. If the person responsible would like to come to me I will arrange help for him or her. I will also expect anyone who has received such a letter to come to me, or to Journeyman Elissa or Master Gerney; since that couple are running the investigation. If the culprit does NOT come to me it will go harder when we catch him or her. This is actually a crime, not a prank; and I will not tolerate it!"

There was a clamour of horrified indignation!

Kisra's voice rang out as clear as a bell.

"Well it's not Prelaia 'cos Master Bendarek already packed her off to the back of the North Wind and pack ice for her spite!"

So much, reflected Bendarek, for shifting Kislan and his wife out with tact and no explanation to the Hall.

The first thing that Elissa did was to ask for D'vind or Ch'sseri to come – she got both as a matched pair – and sent them to the seahold from which Willin and Relina had lately come to ask if any poison pen letters had been received there, or obscene messages chalked on cave walls or such. It would either point the finger or eliminate both oldsters as suspects; these things did not appear overnight and if either had been responsible, it was likely there had been some manifestation of the phenomenon at their last post. It was the sort of spite, Elissa realised, that tended to emanate either from a bitter old woman or a young girl, though it did not prevent there being other suspects. Sh'elle, once Ishelle, had spread spite without fully understanding the connotations of what she had been saying; it was an expression of her misery and insecurity. That young girl had learned well the lesson of pretending more knowledge than she really had; but even at her worst had at least always spoken to the face of the one she wanted to hurt! This underhanded method of scandal mongering was more insidious and somehow even more obscene for its anonymity and cowardice!

D'vind and Ch'sseri reported back that the seaholders had never heard of such a thing and said that nobody in a fish-hold had time to let their brains addle like that.

They also brought a gift of fish; the packtails had been running well. The logicators therefore had a fry-up and discussed over it a third letter, one Gerney had found in the latheshop. It informed him that Beka was not really his daughter and that his wife had played him false, for the child looked nothing like him. It was not couched in such friendly terms.

There was considerable hilarity over THAT mistake!

"It p-proves it's an outsider" said Tirlo "B-because anyone KNOWS B-Beka's your fosterling. It's b-because she calls you daddy I suppose! And Elissa c-couldn't hardly have b-birthed her at what, four turns anyhow!"

"That's worrying actually" said Elissa "Because it suggests the culprit is young enough not to be able to judge my age; young enough even to see grown ups as much the same age. And it's usually around puberty that people start judging people more accurately in terms of age."

"But weyrwomen often look very young for their age; it might be that because you're weyrbred – as our culprit knows – they assume you haven't aged" said Gerney. "Anyone who's been here any time realises how you've gone from girl to woman; but a new comer might make such a connection."

Elissa nodded.

"I guess so" she said. "Well, four of you here are technical suspects; Velit, Liemi, Raveny and Murade. Margand is in the time scale but you chatter enough with Tahnee, you know the REAL background of a lot of people – including Beka."

Margand nodded.

"Tahnee told me about all of the four" he said.

Tahnee confirmed with a nod.

"Velit knows too" she said "I had said something about us three being fosterlings and he was there."

Elissa smiled.

"Nice to eliminate you both" she said. "I'm disinclined to think any of the other three are so silly – and as logicators I reckon you'd know more than the vague nonsense that is written anyhow – but if you are or know who is, speak now and we'll help sort out why and help you over it."

"Scorch it, why would we want to?" said Liemi, mystified "It's such foolishness – and gross ingratitude too, to one's hosts!"

"Not me" said Raveny "I like to insult people accurately, intentionally and to their face."

"He does too" said Alaran "And he's no coward."

"And I think it's sickening and nasty and – and I suppose you HAVE to laught – but suppose some creep sent something similar to little Beka and she really was your daughter, raising doubts in her mind?" demanded Murade.

Elissa stared.

"I hadn't thought about anyone doing it to a babe….but you're right. Fortunately Beka will come to us; and so she will if any of the little ones gets upset. But I'll lose all compassion at all for this sick mind if they do."

"I wasn't that full of compassion to start off with" said Gerney grimly. "You three paying kids – stick together. If you're never alone – and I count standing outside the necessary and bathing room to watch – you can eliminate each other."

"Boys to each other; Murade, move in with us in Isrona's and I'LL watch you" said Sadvia. "TOO much Weyr influence, Gerney!"

"Too much logicator influence you mean!" he growled.

Sadvia's letter had been pushed under the door of Isrona's cot; it was on the same size and colour of paper as the others.

"While I was out, dear, or I'd have been after the little tyke that did it!" said Isrona. Sadvia hid a smile; the idea of the well padded Isrona being after anyone was an amusing mental image!

"Did you read it?" Sadvia asked.

"I did break etiquette to do so" admitted Isrona. "Not wanting you to see anything nasty without someone to protect you. But it's downright silly – if you can call the language it is couched in silly. It's bad language I warn you" and she passed it over.

Sadvia appreciated that Isrona had a good enough opinion of her own level head to let her see the filthy piece. The note inferred, between obscenities, that Sadvia was not really her father's daughter but was the foundling brat of a loving wench. Sadvia roared with laughter.

"And my own father delivering the both of us and having to put me down in a hurry because Kyal was in such a hurry to be born daddy was afraid of dropping him!" she said. "Silly little clunch! Well, it clears Murade; for she met me on the way to logicators', and you'd not gone out then, Isrona, and she's been in my sight ever since. I'm glad."

"So am I" said Murade earnestly "I say, Sadvia, you know that note to Elissa mentioned her being Weyrbred?"

"Yes…. I wondered where any of your lot bar the three of you might have picked that up."

"I told Claria and Jerra was there; I don't know if any of the boys was in earshot. I did it to shut her up whining about the birth of people I was associating with. It's when I mentioned too that you're Ranking" said Murade.

"Ah, that'll be it" said Sadvia "Lianka my pet, be a good kid and run over to Elissa with this note and tell her too about the other paying types knowing."

Lianka nodded eagerly and ran off.

The child held the note in her hand; and it was in no way concealed, for Lianka saw no need to hide it. She was crossing the space to Gerney's cot when a journeyman grabbed her.

Lianka gasped in surprise; and not a little pain, for the snatch to her wrist was vicious.

"It's you, is it, you little wretch?" he cried angrily, shaking her.

"I beg your pardon journeyman? What's me?" asked Lianka indignantly.

"You little muck spreader!" he shook her again, holding her with both hands. "I recognise the paper of that letter in your hand! It's the same batch filched for all the poison letters! Don't deny it!"

"Of course it is!" said Lianka "I'm taking it to Elissa!"

"So you admit it? I'm taking you to the Master!"

"But it's Elissa in charge of…."

The journeyman hit her across the face, a cruel blow, seized her arm and dragged.

Lianka was furious and her face was as red as her hair with anger; but Master Bendarek would sort it out.

The journeyman almost threw Lianka on the floor before Bendarek; the child stumbled and fell, crying out as she hit her knee sharply.

"This is the filthy little wretch who's writing the letter; and she even admitted it!" he declared.

"I did not!" Lianka flared "I said, yes, it was a poison letter I was holding!"

"It's the same thing!" the journeyman spat.

"You've had one to recognise, then, Billan?" said Bendarek, mildly, lifting Lianka and putting an arm around her "But you did not come forward like I told my people to?"

"I burned such filth!" said Billan "Make her PAY!"

Bendarek held up a hand.

"I see no convincing evidence that Apprentice Lianka is the culprit" he said "I can think of several reasons other than that why she should have a note in her hand; not least being another victim herself and running with it to some adult she trusts. Lianka my child, why did you have a poison pen letter in your hand?"

"'Cos it had come to Sadvia and she asked me to take it to Elissa – Journeyman Elissa – to logicate on and I also had a verbal message to carry from her" said Lianka.

"May I see it?"

"HE took it off me" said Lianka, glowering "The journeyman I mean" she added hastily as Bendarek looked at her steadily.

Bendarek held out a hand.

Billan passed over the document which he had crushed angrily into a ball. Bendarek read it and laughed.

"It is indeed to Sadvia and quite as ridiculous as all the letters to date" he said "Now Billan, why should the child be coming FROM Isrona's cot with a letter TO someone who lives there? Have sense, man! Besides, this child knows the real secrets of half the Woodcrafter Hall; she'd not have to make up the stupid conjectures the letters all seem to include!"

"She might for a prank. The girls are always playing pranks!" said Billan, sullenly.

Lianka gasped.

"Journeyman TWO of the new ones do, but not the rest of us! And THEY're too young to know most of the words in these dirty letters! I don't even know all of them, and Sandrina's vocabulary was pretty ripe I can tell you!"

Bendarek observed the journeyman with contempt.

"You have manhandled an apprentice cruelly – her lip is bleeding, and her knee I wager has a massive bruise – without any proof of wrongdoing, Billan" he said "For which I fine you four marks compensation to go to the child; now try not to make a complete ass of yourself in front of an apprentice. Lianka, run along to Elissa for numbweed and take your errands too; and try to forgive Billon for being overwrought at some poison."

Lianka flashed a smile at the Masterwoodcrafter.

"Of course, Master! I guess the writer has to strike close to home by accident sometimes; that's when people really get upset!" she said; and ran off.

Bendarek received but unsatisfactory explanation from Billan about what his letter had said; it appeared to be the accusation of some unspecified sexual misconduct, for the man was cagey.

Bendarek resolved to keep an eye on someone so affected by what should have been risible innuendo!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N_ I still cannot answer reviews because the reply is down - special thanks to Queen of the Jungle for your many kind reviews, sorry I can't reply properly! Know that it's appreciated very much!_

**Chapter 8**

Elissa, questioning Lianka's cut lip, favoured arm and limp was less forgiving than her fosterling.

"Master Bendarek fined him" said Lianka "And he didn't know how to hurt the way Sandrina did."

"Not the point my darling" said Elissa. "Now you've delivered your message I'm going to have a word with Journeyman Billan."

She promptly sought out the offending journeyman and without warning punched him in the mouth, hard, kicked him in the knee and gave his arm a good twist. She was a lithe young woman, strengthened by turns of helping throw bags of firestone up to weyrling Riders; and had no difficulty manhandling the man.

"Don't EVER hurt apprentices again, especially for no good reason!" she said "And especially not my fosterlings, you creep! I can lick you any day, and I will. Try finding out facts rather than leaping to conclusions! The Master placed the investigation in mine and Gerney's hands because he knows we CAN find facts – but YOU seek to obfuscate our investigations first by burning YOUR letter, then by wringing the one to Sadvia so there's no extra clue to be gained from it! Anyone would think you WANTED the poison pen to go free! And it seems to me that you got so uptight 'cos you got a letter that comes close to the truth – so YOU have a grubby secret for real, not like the rest of us! And I'll be watching you; because we don't need people with grubby secrets in the Woodcrafter Hall!"

Billan bared his teeth, sobbing in pain.

"PHAUGH!" said Elissa in disgust "What a big flabby coward you are – ready to hurt a little girl half your size and a quarter your weight who's too brave to show pain, but you sobbing like a toddler when paid inyour own mark? You despicable creature, you disgust me!" and she turned on her heel.

Journeymen Nessan and Mallak who saw the whole applauded.

"Attacking one of those little kids, Billan?" said Nessan in disgust "I'd just despise to be so cowardly a bully!"

Billan had not a leg to stand on; Elissa's fosterlings were known to be hard working and willing and were generally popular!

Elissa reflected as she strode away that there were always going to be people like that; little people, busy finding fault – real or imagined – in others to disguise their own inadequacies. As indeed the poison pen was such a little person. And it really had to be one of three. What a pity it was you could not get fingerprints off paper; for at least her letter had been maintained pristine! All the paper had come from the same batch; it was identical in type one sheet to the others, as Billan had said. It had been filched from the papercrafting shop, of that there was no doubt, but anyone might do that. It was not kept locked, for there was nothing in there of any danger to apprentices, nor was there anything of particular value. Besides, there was trust within the crafthall. Even Gerney never locked the latheshop. Apprentices were forbidden in there – indeed in any workshop – without a journeyman, though special permission was sometimes given to senior apprentices sent to fetch something for a journeyman or master or – rarely – given permission to work on their own. It would be dishonourable to disobey that. And it was rare indeed that honour was broken.

It had to be one of the three.

Only they would lack the inside knowledge. Apprentices always found things out; she could not believe that Birgel had not heard enough about Sadvia and Kyal from his class fellows to make such a letter to her ridiculous. Unless he MEANT the accusations to be ridiculous. She stood stock still for a moment. Could that be it? That they weren't intended to be taken seriously? And yet the language was so foul….if they were not intended to be taken seriously, surely they would also be couched in less offensive terms. No, it did not have the stamp of a prank got out of hand. He was not cleared, but her instinct was that it did not fit Birgel. She could see him hinting at misconduct to pay back a journeyman or two who had called him to task for his habitual laziness and time wasting; and considering himself ingenious to do it in such a fashion without thinking twice about the implications. Thinking was a problem for Birgel, not for a lack of brain, but for a lack of habit in using it. But not so extensive a campaign. Elissa had been brought notes by senior apprentices other than Sadvia, most of which had been silly, and some of which had upset the boys involved enough to need a big sisterly shoulder to cry on over klah, like the lad Elvy, who had been accused of stealing other people's work to present for promotion to Journeyman. Elvy had been teased – volubly – by his fellows for absent mindedly stowing a friend's work in his boot box and having to explain its presence to an irate Master Isimy. Being accused of a lack of honour was a big thing to a lad whose promotion was likely within the next turn or two!

It could not be an apprentice, decided Elissa. Apprentices always found things out; it was why they made such good logicators. And the question could be settled by searching for the rest of the paper; but that was not feasible. This was the first time the Hall had paying Ranking students; and treating them as criminals and searching their possessions was not politically acceptable. Equally, one could not really barge in to their homes to ask if poison pen letters had been sent there! The families of those who were innocent would in either case be justly irritated at such accusations and might then look with less favour on the Woodcrafter Hall. And the family of the guilty one might try to conceal it, either not wanting to believe such a thing about their little treasure, or wishing to cover up a scandal! The Ranking were so fardling touchy to deal with, conscious of their dignity and birth because it was all they had, thought Elissa contemptuously.

The best way to catch the culprit was to set a trap; and bait it appropriately.

Accordingly, Elissa spoke long and seriously with Tahnee, old enough to understand more of the nature of what she would be saying at Elissa's behest and so to act ingenuously the better.

Thus, Tahnee wandered into the paying students' cot, helping Murade to carry some work the girl had been undertaking. She had led the conversation round to the ties with Benden Weyr and as she walked into the common area was saying,

"Oh, Ch'sseri and D'vind? They come to visit Journeyman Arkis really, you know, though they're decent to us kids – they say he has something special for them, so I guess he must be doing some carving work, though they keep coming more than you'd expect for just checkong how it's going. P'haps Journeyman Leichalle can help him; it's funny them having such a long betrothal, isn't it? Where shall I put this?"

Arkis HAD been warned that he was supposedly warming the furs of both dragonmen and laughed like the brook that ran the watermill.

"Only for you, cousin Elissa, only for you!" he said cheerfully "Not that refusing you would have stopped you now, would it?"

Elissa shrugged.

"No" she said "We need this stopped."

Murade had not been a party to the fact that this was a trap; nor had the other two logicators in the paying cot. It was not so much a lack of trust of their innocence as a shrewd suspicion that they would not act naturally if they knew. And the sneaking suspicion that they might JUST choose Blood over craft. Which being so, Murade had tried – without success – to hush Tahnee's apparently artless babble, being quite old enough to put together the implications of what the younger girl was saying!

Tahnee should have been too young to understand; but her experiences under Sandrina had made a mockery of the concept of keeping her innocent. Tahnee was old enough at least to divide 'concentual sex of any nature' from 'rape of any kind' and accepted Ch'sseri and D'vind as having found the right person each, like Elissa and Gerney.

It had been an easy matter for woodcrafters to plane a bit off the bottom of Arkis' door to make an obvious place to push a letter through. Gaps always attract people, as Elissa pointed out, and are tempting to poke into further than if just slipping a note under a door. Masters Isimy and Bendarek lurked down the corridor with Arkis and Bendarek in Isimy's room after making sure that the whole hall knew that Arkis was up in the timber mill. For a big man he managed a creditably furtive return!

Now all there was to do was wait; and Elissa did not think they would have to wait long, for their culprit would not want to risk the big Journeyman coming back unexpectedly.

The high pitched yowl of anguish told them that the trap was sprung.

Elissa was not really surprised to see the girl Jerra kneeling on the floor sobbing in pain and fear, her fingers held firmly under the door by a spring-loaded tunnelsnake trap.

Elissa reached through with her slender fingers and released the catch that held the trap; and heaved the girl unceremoniously to her feet by the scruff.

"I guess you'll have to put her in isolation, Master, and send for her parents" she said to Bendarek.

The girl began to cry in earnest.

"No, please don't send for my parents!"

"Girl" said Bendarek "This is a matter far too serious to deal with; it's no prank but well beyond that, and it's a dirty business you've been up to – and for no apparent reason, no grudge to hold!"

Arkis had retrieved the letter the girl had left and was spoiling the effect of Bendarek's sternness by chuckling over it.

"DO you mind, Arkis?" demanded Bendarek, waspishly.

"Sorry Master. It's just like the others though – lies and silliness wrapped up in dirty language."

"Strikes me" said Elissa "This kid knows too much about sex – and not just conventional sex either – for a sheltered daughter of a Holder. Strikes me, even if her guesses are all way out, she knows more about the acts involved than she ought to. I'm wondering, Master, looking at this pathetic little creature, if it's not a plea for help to escape from a situation that's taught her too much."

"Well she must be isolated for the time being anyway" said Bendarek "We can't let her stay near decent people."

"I'll lock her in my guest room" said Elissa "I'm not sure she's alive enough to the concept of honour to stay put without being locked in."

"I would so!" said Jerra.

"But do we believe you?" said Elissa "You see, you've implied a lie already by passing off the work of another as yours; and again you lied to Master Bendarek by failing to go to him when he asked the poison pen to come forward to receive help. You have also betrayed trust by attacking those who have given you a home here. You see, Jerra, trust is earned; and you've not done anything yet to earn that. Let's get you over to my cot, my girl."

The sobbing girl was taken to the room Petrilla had occupied; and Elissa sat her on the bed and took her gently by the shoulders.

"Are you going to tell me about it, young Jerra?" she asked.

"No! No, I can't!"

"Then you must stay in here until you do" said Elissa implacably. "I'll bring a seated bucket for a necessary and a bucket of water for washing; I can take you to the cot necessary if you as for it, and supervise you taking a bath; but if I'm not in earshot at least you'll have something. I'll leave you drinking water too; and you can reflect on the cruel lies and calumnies you've been spreading."

"'Twasn't lies! I've seen you chatting familiarly with other Journeyman and Masters – Like Master Isimy , and I suppose Arkis blows both ways!"

Elissa laughed merrily, shocking the girl.

"My good ass, half the Woodcrafter Hall are my relatives!" she said "And if they were not, why, journeymen DO chat familiarly with each other! As for Arkis, Tahnee's speech was so much gas and ash laid on to catch you out; Ch'sseri and D'vind are utterly faithful to each other! As for Beka, of COURSE she's not Gerney's daughter; not mine, for we adopted her, and a fine time I'd have had birthing her at four turns old, for I'm not Turned seventeen yet; so your comments there were as ridiculous as any of the others! We don't even have any of our own yet; only fosterlings."

Jerra gulped.

"But – but that would make you my age! So – so they forced you into marriage?"

"You don't half leap to conclusions, don't you?" said Elissa with amiable scorn "No I picked out Gerney for myself; so get that foolishness out of your head! Only Holderfolk force sex and marriage on people; crafters and weyrfolk follow the Charter and give autonomy"

"OH! Go away and leave me alone! I don't believe anything!"

"Gladly. Maybe a bit of solitude will make you come to your senses and talk about why you are doing this wicked thing" said Elissa, shutting and locking the door behind her.

It only took a couple of hours before Jerra was ready to talk; and once she started it all came tumbling out in a rush ' a bit like the last sevenday's stuff in your guts once you take senna' as Elissa said.

Some three turns earlier Jerra had suffered from a fever and had had her hair cut; and looked a bit like a boy. Her father had started to take an interest in her, his only child after previously ignoring her, encouraging her to keep her hair short and to wear tunic and trews. Soon he was using her anally regularly, pretending she was the boy lover he had always longed for but was too bound by convention and fear of what people might say to actually seek. He accused the child's mother of having lovers, telling Jerra they had filthy ways but that their love was quite all right for it was not incestuous as he was certain her mother had played him false because all she wanted was what he called 'impure sex' not the love that could not conceive.

The child was, unsurprisingly, completely mixed up.

Elissa cuddled her and told her that her father told wicked lies and had done her a great wrong.

"I love Jershan, I do, but I don't like how he shows that he loves me!" Jerra sobbed.

"He wouldn't do ANYTHING that hurt you or upset you if he loved you truly" said Elissa. "THAT's not showing that he loves you. It's showing that he's a selfish little twat who wants to do what HE wants to do and convinces you - and I suspect himself – that it stems from love! I'd like to knock the daylights out of him!"

Jerra howled the more and told Elissa to go away because Jershan DID love her!

In the face of implacable idiocy and self delusion, Elissa could do nothing but withdraw before an onslaught of ineffectually beating fists and the likelihood of the child screeching herself into hysterics.

"We need to report it to Lord Groghe" she said to Bendarek "He's her father's overlord."

"It's her word against her father; if he's plausible enough to keep the silly chit loving him despite his actions, it'll be very difficult" sighed the Master.

"Not with a Bronze dragon to verify her words" said Elissa.

Bendarek.

"Yes, there is that" he said.

Jerra made difficulties about repeating her story in front of a Bronze Rider and his big dragon. Elissa was blunt.

"Spill the goods and be helpful or we take you to Lord Asgenar for judgement over the poison letters; and you'll spend the next sixty or seventy turns scrubbing floors for malise" the journeyman said "H'llon's not a total innocent, you know, whatever his mother might believe. He's heard about most perversions in his time. Bronze Riders are people you go to for help; so whatever you Holderfolk get up to, he's probably heard it all."

"It's WEYRFOLK who do dirty things!" declared Jerra.

Elissa laughed scornfully.

"We don't bed hop or go in for strange practices like Holderfolk – and a few crafters" she added "It's OUT of the Weyr you get incest, llama-screwing, pain-causing and so on. Just tell him what you told me; or tell me again and forget he's there. H'llon, make like a tree."

H'llon solemnly raised his arms in the air and spread his fingers.

Jerra made a little noise half way between a sob and a hysterical giggle.

Finally Elissa dragged it all out of her again.

H'llon was scowling by the time she had finished.

"First Egg, what a total creep! Not just to force himself on the poor kid, but to dress it up as some sick expression of love! Well, I hope Groghe HANGS him!"

Jerra gave a shriek.

"Oh NO! NO! Please don't let him hurt Jershan! I didn't mean it, I was lying!"

"Melth knows otherwise" said H'llon.

"It's YOUR fault weyrbitch! You MADE me!" Jerra turned on Elissa, going for her with nails. Elissa caught her wrists and subdued her easily.

"Jershan has done wrong. He has hurt you. You wanted it to stop, or you would not have started the letters. Why ever would you want to protect him?" the young journeyman was genuinely confused.

"But I LOVE him!"

"Then you're a complete idiot as well as a tiresome and naughty little brat!" snapped Elissa. "How DARE you cause us all this trouble if you like being hurt – as you are now saying that you do? Make up your mind one way or the other! H'llon, you'd better ask Lord Groghe if she can foster with his younger daughters – she needs a normal life and a new start. I can't take her on and I won't; she'd drive me up the pole looooving a creep like that and I'd want to slap her!"

H'llon nodded.

"And she's scarcely fit for the Weyr" he said "T'lana can cope with most things but terminal idiots are beyond even her, when she's got the welfare of the other kids to see to."

Elissa looked at Jerra with sympathy tinged with exasperation, and sighed.

"I s'pose it's not all total idiocy, you know, H'llon; it's like little Beka. When that awful woman was hurting those little girls she had them trained to instant, terrified obedience, for fear of being burned or stuck out in Thread. This one has been trained to believe she loves him. He's told her over and over and over until she believes that his terrible acts of incest are acts of love. It's the good sense inside her that's screaming for help and the deep down realisation that it is wrong that has sent her to the perverse extreme of sending poison pen letters to let people know that she is unhappy by an outpouring of the poison and wrongness that she feels in her own twisted little soul. The real Jerra, not the brainwashed one, needs help and knows it deep down. And one day, my child, you'll understand what REAL love is, and know that we did right by you – and that it was right to stop him doing it to someone else. He would, you know, if you got too womanly."

Jerra was crying bitterly and did not answer.

Elissa shrugged.

"Try not to let hating me get in the way of learning to live a normal life" she said to the girl. "Be happy; and soon you'l go with H'llon to Lord Groghe. I've got your things packed ready."

One day perhaps the girl would realise how abnormal her life had been.

Elissa hoped fervently that Jerra would not start writing more poison pen letters because she was miserable over having been rescued. H'llon could be relied upon to tell Lord Groghe everything though; and his excellent wife Benoria and equally excellent mistresses would keep an eye out for that sort of thing starting up again.

Elissa wished the Lady Holder joy of the girl!

It would be extremely awkward for Jerra to continue in the Woodcrafter Hall, however, with everyone knowing what she had done – especially with vindictive types like Billan around. The Journeyman was sufficiently vitriolic that the girl's safety had to be considered!

Besides, even with Benoria knowing her background it would be less embarrassing for Jerra to be under the care of someone to whom she had not poured out her heart; and someone too she at least partly hated for knowing what had happened and knowing what the child's inner heart wanted; and there was fear there too, which was inextricably bound up with her feelings towards Elissa, though what the fear was of was hard to say. Fear of punishment from her father if Groghe did not do something terminal to him? Fear of change? Fear that once it was proved the only thing she hung on to – her father's supposed love for her – was really a sham, that all the comfort of her life would be taken from her?

Probably at that a combination of them all.

And an inadequate mother she must have too not to stop it. If the silly woman had even noticed.

Unless sending her away had been the mother's idea to remove the child from the girl's father's clutches? Possibly. Perhaps the wife had higher social rank that she could do so, and her husband had to take it; for he'd not willingly submit to having his sex toy wrested from him!

Elissa had something of an answer to the background of the family when H'llon returned to report that Lord Groghe was dealing with the issue.

"The girl's mother's father dabbles in woodcraft; seems the girl loved to spend time in his workshop" the Bronze Rider said. "Seems her mother suggested to the old man that it would be nice for Jerra to learn more. It's he who is the Holder, so what he says, goes. There was a row by all accounts. Huh, the creep said she was so young to go away – at sixteen! THAT should have rung warning bells!"

"Not everyone has a logicator background" said Elissa "WE pick up on clues like that because we're trained; like Jerra's over insistence that she loves her father that indicates some fear of him too if he's not placated. Most people would only see that as sweet sentimentality that the man hasn't realised how grown up his little girl is. Men ARE notoriously horrified to discover their daughters are old enough to start romping in the furs with the boy down the corridor, you know!"

H'llon grinned.

"I suppose so" he said "Ah well, load her up; and I'll ship her out."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Billan's sexual misconduct was a subject of some speculation amongst the logicators.

"After all" said Lianka "Whatever she wrote must've come close to the knuckle to make him fly off the handle like that, mustn't it?"

The younger ones of the senior logicators duly tailed Billan for their own personal satisfaction of morbid curiosity.

The mystery turned out to be disappointingly simple.

"And NOTHING very salacious at all" said Teerel mournfully. "It's only that he's knocking off the wives of a couple of other Journeymen. Very disappointing."

"And they're not even pretty" put in Kamar "Not that I can talk" – Kamar had strangely squashed features that made him look rather odd – "but I mean! Even I could pull better looking ones than that!"

"It's the excitement of the illicit" said Elissa "And Billan's no catch in himself. Anyway, Kamar, of course you could get a better one than him; you keep yourself fit, you've a nice body and a lovely nature, I don't see you having any trouble pulling."

Kamar grinned.

"I don't" he said.

"Precocious brat" said Elissa cheerfully.

On due consideration, Elissa explained to Lianka and Beka as well as Tahnee why Jerra had written the letters. They, after all, had some understanding of the situation.

"Poor Jerra!" said Beka, sympathetically "She isn't going to be punished for writing them is she?"

"Oh no" Elissa assured her. "Lord Groghe is a fair man; and he's fond of children and hates cruelty to them. She may be quite nearly grown up now, but she was just a child when it started. He'll be sorry for her and keep her safe."

"Good" said Beka.

"Billan's howling for vengeance on her" said Lianka.

"What an idiot he is!" sighed Elissa.

The young Journeyman confronted Billan.

"Now then, you talk about justice. Is it justice that a little girl should be hurt from the age of thirteen by her own father?"

"What?" Billan was confused.

"The girl who wrote the letters did it as a cry for help because the animal that was her father had trained her to say nothing about his incestuous abuses. It was an oblique way of drawing attention to the fact that she had an unnatural amount of knowledge. And you are only drawing attention to your silly self moaning about wanting further punishment to an already hurt little girl, and if you're not careful, Journeymen Sellenir and Reefol might just notice your attraction to their wives."

Billan's face took on an ugly look.

"I suppose you're threatening to tell them!"

"Nope. It's none of my business. If their wives want to sleep with something that looks like you that's their business; I've got no time for the wilfully and terminally stupid. I just ask you nicely to have a little compassion for a mixed up kiddy and stop being so fardling boring for the rest of us over your rather tedious and pedestrian peccadilloes."

He gaped after her as she walked away, in utter outrage.

Being accused of being a wicked seducer was one thing; being accused of being boring, tedious and pedestrian was downright hurtful!

It was unfortunate for Billan that Kamar's mischievous and fertile brain took a turn to poetry. Or at least what passed for poetry amongst woodcraft apprentices!

The little rhyme was soon circulated, to the journeyman's impotent fury; unfair he might be in many ways, but he did not at least blame Elissa, for he knew better than to suspect a fellow journeyman of writing such things to the detriment of the dignity of his knots!

It went as follows.

"Billan kissed Nisa in the shed

Then he kissed Larrana there instead

He don't care that they're both wed

He can't get a maid to share his bed!"

It is to be said that Kamar had suffered some unfairness from Billan in the past, for the journeyman took the view that one so ugly must also be at the root of all mischief; and as Kamar said, he was only at the root of HALF the mischief.

Elissa let it run a whole day before she told the others to quietly stop it.

"It'll die the death if you don't keep fanning the flames" she said "And enough is enough."

"Spoilsport" grinned Teerel.

Tirlo nodded, and so did Kamar, with a grimace.

They were the main three culprits; as Elissa had readily guessed!

All the troubles caused by the poison pen were driven from the minds of the crafters by the news of the theft, and subsequent rapid return, of the Queen Egg at Benden Weyr; and there was brief turmoil from frightened firelizards who had to be petted back to some level of equanimity after insisting that dragons had flamed them! Elissa was besieged by questions from firelizard owners – a great number of journeymen, since H'llon brought regular clutches and Master Bendarek was happy to purchase the little creatures for his staff – and was unable to do more than reassure them that firelizards often took queer notions into their heads because of being more instinctively telepathic than dragons and being able to pick up strange images from firelizards a long way away.

"If Oldtimers stole the egg, as seems likely, they might have flamed firelizards sent to look for it you know" she said "And on returning the little creatures broadcast the business as a warning for others. I can't see dragons flaming firelizards as a general thing – certainly not OUR dragons!" she said. That was enough to content most people; Elissa being acknowledged as the craft expert on weyr matters!

D'vind and Ch'sseri came to see Elissa; and first her firelizards and Gerney's and then others came timidly to check that Iphedeth and Bimoleth would not flame them!

The weyrmates had a specific question to ask.

"You have often spoken of Weyrwoman T'lana" said D'vind carefully "Would you say that she does things with the best of motives?"

"Oh always!" said Elissa. "Here, you're not suggesting T'lana would do anything so infernally impolite to Ramoth as to steal her egg are you?"

They shook their heads hastily.

"No! Oh no!" said Ch'sseri "Only…only Lessa was very angry."

"Not really surprising" said Elissa "At least the idiots thought better of it and returned it; or more like, one of their number got a fit of conscience."

"Wel….yes. but she was still angry" said D'vind "And, well, T'lana came and what she said I don't quite know, because she spoke quite quietly, but Lessa shouted at her and I think she hit her. Lessa hit T'lana I mean."

Elissa's eyes widened.

"Queenriders don't fight!" she gasped "NEVER repeat that outside this room!"

"We wondered" said Ch'sseri "If T'lana would provoke Lessa into hitting her to – to make her realise what a bad temper she was in and shock her into helping to break it."

Elissa considered.

"Now THAT would not surprise me" she said "And it's nicely logicated on your part. Though I have to say, I'm puzzled as to why she'd think it High Reaches business; unless F'lar asked her to help as a favour. For your ears only, he sired her."

That was news, but almost in light of everything else, unimportant!

"I don't think he did" said D'vind. "But – well, it would be High Reaches business if they and the other weyrs were called upon to attack Southern Weyr?"

Elissa stared.

"Tell me you're joking! Where on earth could such a preposterous idea originate?" she said "You can't be serious! Nobody would pit dragon against dragon – nobody in their right mind!"

The dragonmen shuffled.

"We- we're not sure Lessa was; not for a while" said Ch'sseri uncomfortably "And obviously you'll keep THAT to yourself! But – but she's been calmer and so we thought we'd ask….and to mention that anyone connected with High Reaches might not be greeted so kindly as usual….. I mean if the Weyrleader or Weyrwoman visited. As they do sometimes."

"You're digging yourself a hole, Ch'sseri" said Elissa crisply. "You mean, T'lana's done the right thing and you're tryng not to call down your own Weyrwoman by saying that Lessa's inclined to feel a little vindictive about it and could take a long time to forgive being prevented from doing something she'd subsequently regret because she hates being wrong and hates even more being caught out being wrong?"

"Yes" said D'vind succinctly. "We all love Lessa dearly, of course; she's our Weyrwoman. But she can be….."

"Volatile" supplied Ch'sseri.

"Not hardly surprising, seeing her family murdered, and then living ten turns as a drudge with only a dream of vengeance to keep her alive" said Elissa. "Poor Lessa! I suppose when things go wrong it means that thoughts of vengeance are the ones that spring most easily into her mind! Turns and turns of love from Ramoth and F'lar won't cancel out all that time through her impressionable adolescenc. Mostly she can suppress the side of her that had to be hard, brutal, uncompromising and malicious; but things that touch to the depth of the soul – and that egg is as much her daughter in some ways as it is Ramoth's – bring up all the seething resentments, all that hardened side! Thank Faranth for F'lar! Without him as her lover, and Ramoth, she could have learned her lessons from Fax so well she'd have made Lady Holdless Thella look like a small child and Fax like an amateur!"

D'vind stared; Ch'sseri, the more imaginative of the pair, shuddered.

"A frightening though!" he agreed "or if someone like T'kul had been her Weyrleader…."

"Pern would have been under subjection almost impossible to imagine" said Elissa. "It'll sort out. Lessa's fair minded enough when her dander isn't up. Let's drink to F'lar and common sense in good klah!"

The Riders joined that toast fervently!

When the Riders had gone, Elissa picked a piece of Golden Maple, turning it roughly to an egg shape first; and first she carved careful swirling patterns such as she recalled seeing on eggs at High Reaches, cutting in deeper and deeper with fine knives and chisels to define a curled up dragonet within it. It was meticulous work and she put into it every spare minute she had. It was beautiful; and word was that that the Golden Egg hardened more than the rest of the clutch and Elissa had only just finished the carving when it was ready to hatch; and she only got as far as she did because she skimped cleaning up after herself and paid Dorelly a bonus to deal with the shavings. Elissa sent Mellow with a message to D'vind and Ch'sseri to come please as soon as possible.

They arrived in minutes, and Elissa flushed at their concerned faces.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I worded that badly… I wanted to be in time before the hatching; it's not urgent, I'm sorry if I worried you!" she said, looking embarrassed.

Ch'sseri kissed her cheek.

"For Elissa we come hotfoot. Or hot wing! They think the hatching is imminent!"

"The egg did continue to harden?" she asked shyly.

D'vind nodded.

"It's a sign it probably took no harm. If the dragonet had died within it, the shell would not change or might even go limp" he said.

Elissa nodded.

"Good. Dear boys, assuming all goes well, will you give this to Lessa? Tell her it's a gift from Elissa of Lemos and High Reaches; let's see if it makes up for her being cross at T'lana, because Queenriders must NOT fight!"

"It's exquisite!" gasped D'vind.

"Your best piece ever" agreed Ch'sseri.

"Lessa is Benden: Benden is Pern. As her fair of dragons and their Riders love her, so too are we all part of her and F'lar's people" said Elissa, sincerely. "Lessa has saved Pern so many ways so often; she MUST be made happy. A Queen and her Rider dominate the Weyr and that Weyr dominates Pern."

"May we quote you?" asked D'vind.

"If you think it appropriate" said Elissa. "Now run along, boys! I'd hate you to miss it if it started while you're out!"

They laughed boyishly and hurried back to a waiting Bimoleth and Iphedeth.

"That was well done, my love" said Gerney "Now I know why I've been living up to the neck in woodshavings and a busy, tetchy wife."

"Have I been tetchy? I'm sorry. It should have taken a month to carve or more if I'd been thinking about it!" she said "But time was of the essence; and the children have been so good!"

"You said we had to be because you had a difficult thing to do, Elissa" said Preslan "So we were!"

"And thank you all" said Elissa. She had shown them the egg; and Gerney too of course; but had neglected to mention why she was in such a hurry to finish it for Lessa! They were very good children! Almost too good – it told her a lot about what Kislan had expected when he was working – and how little time Prelaia had for them that they seemed quite used to such neglect!

Elissa duly devoted more time than usual to the little ones for the next few days, leading to Kilaia actually leaning up against her and saying,

"It's nice when YOU have hard work to finish, Elissa, because you have time after!"

Elissa hugged the mite; and Kilaia actually responded to it a little!

oOoOo

Lessa, emotional as all Riders were after a Hatching – even of only one egg – had tears in her eyes at the gift,

D'vind repeated what Elissa had said, daring too to mention how hard Lessa must find it to fight off the hard feelings she had needed to grow in Ruatha; and added,

"Elissa understands more because she's Weyrbred, you know, at High Reaches. H'llon trained her."

Lessa nodded. She was immensely touched! And the carving was so lively, so beautiful!

oOoOo

A Golden dragon burst out from _Between_ above the Woodcrafter Hall; and the petite, dynamic figure of the Benden Weyrwoman flung in search of someone called Elissa.

She ran the young journeyman to earth in the latheshop; whence Master Bendarek took her when the weyrwoman seemed disinclined to wait around while Elissa was sent for.

Elissa was instructing two small girls on how to hold their chisels correctly; they had moved to turning at higher speeds and several of the class, not merely the girls, were a little nervous of how much energy they could feel as they touched chisel to wood. Naturally they rose, as did all the class for Master Bendarek; but when he motioned them back to work, Elissa continued what she was doing before leaving the children to get on with it and coming over to bow her head in a gesture of respect to the Weyrwoman.

"Master….My Lady Benden" she said,

"The Journeyman you sought, Weyrwoman" said Bendarek.

"YOU're Elissa?" said Lessa in surprise "I expected someone older!"

"Well I am what I am. I'm afraid" laughed Elissa "As old as my toenails and several sevendays older than my hair by all accounts!"

"May I steal her for a while?" the Weyrwoman asked Bendarek.

"Gerney?" Bendarek checked.

Gerney nodded.

"To accommodate Benden even I can be flexible! I have Telfer and these are not novices. The Weyrwoman is welcome."

Lessa linked her arm into Elissa's and drew her outside into the bright summer sunshine.

"I loved your egg more than any present I think that I have ever been given." She said.

Elissa's face lit up, lending a form of beauty to her sharp brown features.

"Oh I AM glad! You had had a hard time, and Ramoth too; I thought it must rouse all the old feelings of betrayal and loss from when Fax invaded!"

Lessa regarded the girl with wonder.

"How could you know that?" she wondered "Why, I didn't realise it myself until you said! But you are right, you know!"

"We are shaped by everything that happens to us – for good or ill" said Elissa "And we learn by experience. So every experience we have, we are comparing it to previous experiences. When there are similarities we have a way we reacted before and choose either to react in the same way or we decide it was a bad way that got nothing and try to find another way."

"You're saying, from what D'vind also hinted, I know nothing but anger and vengeance?"

Elissa shrugged.

"I'd say it was a strong part of you. But what you mostly learned was determination. Which has shaped you to be Ramoth's Rider: and THE Weyrwoman."

Lessa nodded.

"I know I have my faults" she said "And –and thank you for making a gift of such love when you so plainly see my faults though you do not know me."

Elissa hugged her spontaneously; and Lessa, startled for a moment, returned the embrace.

"Tell me more about your logicators" Lessa demanded. "D'vind and Ch'sseri are keen but wary of speaking to me about it. You'd think I might bite!" she said, smiling sadly.

"I guess most Weyrs are more formal than High Reaches; it is full of eccentrics after all" laughed Elissa. "Well I'll do my best: would you like to know what those two babes have helped me with here?"

Lessa quirked an eyebrow.

"Babes?" there was a slight edge to her voice.

"They're so nice….and naïve. That's why I call them babes, though they're learning! There is much wickedness in the world and they're so sheltered – they used to actually get shocked over people being selfish and unkind to each other!" Elissa went on chatting happily about the logicators, explaining the cases at the Woodcrafter Hall; and Lessa's eyes filled again with sympathy, horror and anger over the vile acts of the woman Sandrina.

"Were any of the little girls in that workshop? The ones you were helping?" she asked.

"Oh no, they're further on in their craft" said Elissa "I foster three of them, the other wants to be a Healer and fosters with Saranna."

"There is that about logicating that needs much exploring – especially towards the end of the Pass" said Lessa "I must be gone, now, however; Ramoth is getting edgy away from her other eggs - even with Mnementh on guard! I thank you again!" she smiled, and embraced Elissa again, before striding off to Ramoth with her direct, boyish walk.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The rest of the Benden clutch hatched safely as D'vind and Ch'sseri cheerfully told the logicators: and Gerney's father G'nal also dropped in, ostensibly with the news and really to see his son. The Summer gather therefore went off with good high spirits; and even the youngest apprentices had a few meagre offerings for sale!

Kispre had asked if he might use Elissa's or Gerney's lathes in the craftcot; and had been given permission if under Elissa's eye. He had worked hard, untroubled by the high speed Gerney had set his lathe at, and made a couple of small bowls.

Gerney inspected them with as much care as he did any apprentice pieces.

"Would you like them stamped for sale, or would you prefer to keep them?" he asked the boy.

"I have the choice?" Kispre was amazed again at how understanding his foster father was "Do I have to choose the same for both? Are they both good enough to stamp?"

"They are both good enough to stamp and as good as most boys who have been learning for two or more turns" said Gerney "And you may keep or sell either, neither or both as you choose."

"Then I'll keep one and sell one" decided Kispre "Just – just to see if other people like it too!"

"I will stamp both then; to PROVE they are both worthy" said Gerney "And if you choose which is to be sold I will place it with the other apprentice work."

Kispre deliberated; and put aside the plain sycamore, choosing to sell the darker sugar maple wood one.

"I can compare my improving techniques on any wood" he said seriously "But people will prob'ly buy the richer colour wood."

Gerney nodded.

"Yes, people are not always discerning" he said. "Which is why Master Jaben gets so upset about fools who buy poor workmanship clad in pretty veneers."

"I like the amount of decoration you and Elissa put on things" said Kispre firmly "Just enough to look nice and not too much to look cluttered!"

At Elissa's suggestion, Sifora, Ambreen and Sheesha had worked as a team to produce a draughts' board and a set of draughts, which would share good marks between them; rather than labouring on small individual projects that they might not have finished in time. Sifora had turned the wood for the pieces, sawed and finished them meticulously with the traditional rings in the top and worked without complaint at the repetitive work, for she was quite happy with such; and the other two had made the board under Master Tuon's harassed direction, since arguments of which way the grain should be going for the next square were liable to break out!

This project had been something in imitation to the exquisite chess board Tahnee had produced, the pieces turned exquisitely save for the finishing of the main pieces and the whole of the Knites. These pieces she made as dragons rather than the traditional runnerbeast, the base having furled wings curled about it. King and Queen were furnished with flying goggles and helmets; in the light of the near possibility of Weyr Fighting Weyr, it was not the most tactful piece; but Tahnee had long begun it before the Queen egg was stolen and the fracas over it had brought such tragedy so close! Elissa suggested that if asked, Tahnee should say it represented the competition of Wing against Wing in practice games.

Tahnee, who had worried if she should even present it for sale, grinned.

"Clever" she said "I'll do that!"

Traditionally of course the Castle represented Hold, Knite was trader or Holdless and the Bissop was craft. The King and Queen were the Weyr, and the Kingpiece often carved to resemble the spires of a weyr like the Seven Spindles of High Reaches or the similar spires of Ista. The reasons behind the odd names were lost in antiquity, save that Harpers said that Castle was an old word for Fort, a place of protection, and was obviously an allusion to the first Hold. Queens at least were obvious in name, referring to dragons! And the shape of the Knite suggested the pack beasts often used by traders. Bissops were a mystery!

Lianka and Beka had been turning more bobbins; and also scraps of soapstone to add to them as beads this time. Lianka too turned a walnut wood bangle and then carved into the ring a sinuous dragon.

Elissa had been experimenting with blocking wood together as for inlay; and then turning bowls of it, that came out with a subtle chequerboard pattern; it was what she had been working on before she had put everything aside for Lessa's egg. And though that had earned no marks, it earned more goodwill than marks could ever buy!

The youngsters were liable to get over-excited by the Gather; and as the day was likely to be hot, Elissa decreed that all her younger fosterlings and the other three girls in her care would return to the Crafthall for the noon meal and lie down for two hours through the heat of the day. If they did so, the older girls might stay a little while and watch the start of the dancing.

"What about us?" asked Kispre.

"I shouldn't have thought you three would find the dancing very interesting" said Elissa "Not for a turn or two. Do you REALLY want to stay up for it?"

"No" said Preslan.

Kispre thought about it.

"Not really" he said "Not unless there's food to go with it."

"I think it would be more fun, don't you, to bring some Gather food home and eat outside, and watch the lights down the hill; you can put on your nightgowns and wrap yourselves in blankets because it'll get chilly after dark; and we'll have our own brazier and hot sausage and tubers" suggested Elissa.

"I'd like that" said Kispre. "Our OWN feast. Will father Gerney be with us?"

"Yes; I'll ask Tahnee to bring the girls back, I expect Margand will escort them too" said Elissa.

Tahnee was quite glad of the excuse of looking after little ones in her capacity of senior apprentice.

Margand was not the only one to ask the slim, pretty blonde girl to dance at this Gather, and Tahnee found it a little more than she was prepared to cope with. Besides, a private feast sounded more fun; and if he wanted to come, it sounded as if Margand was invited by extension. Tahnee fully intended to hustle the little ones away quite quickly!

Margand shyly accepted; it was nice to feel included in the family group!

Elissa awoke on the morning of the Gather feeling distinctly queasy and quite unlike feasting; and bolted for the necessary.

Once she had sent Beka – already long up and excited – to fetch her a piece of bread from the little craftcot kitchen she felt much better; and sighed.

She had intended to wait a turn or two. Nature evidently had other ideas.

She went back to bed.

Gerney was dressing.

"Are you all right, my dear?" he asked "You looked rather pale when you went haring off."

"Yes. No. Maybe" said Elissa, slipping her arms around him. "Gerney, we're going to have a family sooner than we planned. Those fardling herbs have failed."

"Oh!" said Gerney. "Are you sure you didn't forget to take them when you were so taken up with carving that egg? When I have work that just has to come I sometimes forget to eat and things."

Elissa stared.

"You know, I might have" she said in a small voice "And me priding myself on being practical! Oh Gerney, do you mind?"

"My dear, it's a case of do YOU mind" he said, cupping her face with a gentle hand "You are so young still! Will you foster to avoid giving up your craft?"

"If you didn't mind. Gerney, I'd half a mind to foster our children with my parents, to give our babes a chance of some weyrbred experience….only they're so far away."

"I think my mother was hoping to foster for us" he said softly.

Elissa brightened.

"Oh! Well she won't pack their heads full of rubbish! I like that idea!"

He smiled at her, a smile of adoration.

Elissa had not the faintest idea how to dissemble her feelings to those she loved; and she was still so very much more weyrbred than crafterfolk!

The children had a good time! A troupe of jugglers and acrobats had come for the Gather and the little ones sat entranced – and the older ones hardly any less so – while clubs flew through the air to be unerringly caught, and even while the acrobats were tumbling, their bright, tightly fitting bias-cut trews and tunics flashing in the sunlight. A girl hardly any older than Tahnee threw two clubs up and somersaulted several times, catching the falling clubs just where her tumbling finished and with just the most casual glance at them! The children clapped until their palms were sore! An older acrobat, a man, kept six clubs in the air at once – though without additional acrobatics – and a team of four men, the youngest of an age with many of the apprentices, jumped, cartwheeled and tumbled whilst tossing clubs back and forth between themselves with seeming casualness!

"It looks fun" said Kispre "They make it look easy!"

"The mark of an expert" said Elissa "Gerney makes turning even the most intricate thing look easy. It's long turns of practice. I expect this family start informal apprenticeships at your age or even younger, you know."

One of the acrobats flashed a white grin.

"That's right, Journeyman!" he said "We've been practising since we were four or five turns old to get it just so – though our grandfather don't let us perform in public until we've Turned ten!"

"Shards!" breathed Preslan, impressed.

"I don't want to throw clubs about" said Kilaia "I'd rather watch other people do it. I want to carve wood."

"And that's in your blood as tumbling is for these good acrobats" said Elissa, sliding marks into the man's hand. He grinned good naturedly.

"I want to fly a dragon" said Preslan suddenly "When I'm of age I'm going to stand for Impression."

"I think you have to be invited, lad" said the acrobat gently.

"Anyone may ask to stand" said Elissa "And he is invited anyway; his uncle's a Bronze Rider at High Reaches, so he has kin there."

"Well, you're a lucky lad!" the acrobat ruffled Preslan's hair.

"I'm going to serve some apprenticeship first, then study with uncle H'llon. He's Weyrwoodcrafter" said Preslan with aplomb.

"Is it true they take girls for Greens there?" asked the acrobat.

"Yes they do" Elissa replied "No, I didn't want to."

"Well, if anyone may ask, maybe we'll take our Jessenia there; she's dragon mad" he nodded to the girl who had tumbled. "A loss to us, but if the Weyr wants her, dragons come first."

"Absolutely" said Elissa "And I wish her the best. Nobody stands on ceremony at High Reaches."

"May I ask, Journeyman, why you did not wish to stand? Or is it an impertinence?" he asked.

"Oh I don't mind telling you – naturally you want to know it's nothing that would distress Jessenia!" said Elissa "Firstly I wanted to know more about wood and come here to study. I had accepted that if I made journeyman, returned to the Weyr and Impressed, that was what was meant to be. But I met my husband; and he is out of Impressionable age and it would now mean leaving him as he teaches here an uncommon subject. And that in any case means that no dragon would accept me, as I put another being first."

"I see! Thank you for telling me; it seems a good reason. And I wish you and your husband all the best!" he bowed and moved on.

None of the children made much complaint about resting over the noon period; and when Elissa woke with a start after more than an hour, all the children but Beka were asleep. Beka was lying on her stomach, tongue firmly between her teeth, drawing a design of acrobats to do in marquetry.

"That's rather good" said Elissa. "If you place the clubs carefully you can avoid having such awkward shapes of background"

Beka nodded, scrubbed with a finger, and repositioned a club.

"Are you better now?" she asked.

"Well….yes, but I might be sick first thing in the morning for quite a while" said Elissa "I'm pregnant."

Beka rolled over and stared.

"Will you and daddy Gerney still love us if you have your own baby?" she asked bluntly.

"Of course!" said Elissa "You're our girls! Especially you, Pet; Tahnee and Lianka have each other, though I love them dearly.

Beka nodded.

"Can I help with baby?"

"I should think so; but I'm going to foster small ones with Sahalla, once they're weaned. I can't cope with any child younger than Kilaia."

Beka nodded.

"But we'll visit lots so baby knows us?"

"Oh yes!"

The little girl seemed quite satisfied and turned back to her drawing without further comment; and Elissa sat down to the lathe, soothed by the gentle hum of its turning as she waited for the other children to wake up.

It was good that Beka would ask about the things that concerned her!

Life WAS good.

Refreshed by a sleep, the youngsters were cheerful for the rest of the afternoon; and seeing fractious younger apprentices, quarrelling and whining, Elissa determined to suggest to the Master that it be made a rule for all apprentices under thirteen turns to rest for at least an hour midday during hot Gathers. Refreshed as they had been, however, the little ones were still ready to go home long before dark fell, when the majority of Gather goers started drifting towards the dancing ground.

With a brazier lit and hot tubers it was an exciting family picnic in the start of the twilight; and lights sprang up below as glows were uncovered to aid the dancing.

It was not long before the other girls and Margand came up giggling to join them; at least the girls were giggling, Margand was trying to keep a straight face while tears of mirth streamed down his face as he stifled gurgles of mirth. Elissa sent the younger ones to wash and undress before they might have their tubers and suggested that Tahnee and Margand might like to wash. While the little girls were complying the Journeyman took the opportunity to put Preslan and Kilaia to bed.

They fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows without even a bedtime story!

Kispre sat on Gerney's knee trying to look like he was more than half awake while the girls giggled their way out.

"You didn't tell early?" demanded Sheesha.

"We waited!" said Tahnee. "Oh, but guess what, Elissa!" she was scarcely able to contain herself for laughing.

"I can't; I'm too tired to guess" said Elissa lazily.

Tahnee collapsed in howls of laughter.

"One shouldn't laugh…" said Margand, giggling hysterically.

"Master Tuon….." Tahnee giggled "We were watching….he asked Sadvia to walk with him….and he went down on one knee and asked her to marry him!"

"And she said 'I think you just knelt in some runnerbeast dung'!" giggled Lianka.

"And his face was to DIE for!" said Ambreen gurgling with mirth.

"And he said 'I don't care if only my beautiful flower will say yes'" said Tahnee.

"I think he'd had a mug of that stuff the traders brew" said Margand "And didn't know how strong it was….."

"And then Sadvia said" giggled Sheesha "she said 'please get up master Tuon, I have no intention of getting married to ANYONE for ages and when I do I want one that is closer to me in age. Please stop being so silly and go and ch-ch-change your trousers – you s-s-smell!" it was too much to get through without breaking down in laughter; and the other girls collapsed against each other whooping with mirth.

"You are a bad bunch of little horrors" said Elissa, indulgently "And don't you DARE make fun of the poor man – nor Sadvia either!"

"Yes…he's a good man and a fine Master" said Margand "And I offer that unexpected mug in his excuse!"

"Aw….all right then Elissa" said Ambreen, who had hoped to get some mileage out of it! "hee hee, I'm glad HE's not going to be my brother; I like him fine as a Master but not THAT well! I'd like her to marry Alaran or Telfer."

"Well it's up to her what SHE feels" said Elissa firmly. "Now eat up your tubers and let's hope so much giggle won't give you hiccups. Then clean your teeth and scoot to bed; and Margand will see Tahnee and Lianka back to your own cot!"

Sadvia came by after all the children were in bed and still giggling just as much as ever. Elissa planned to leave them to fall asleep in mid giggle.

"Guess what!" said Sadvia cheerfully.

"Master Tuon proposed, kneeling in a turd" grinned Elissa.

Sadvia stared.

"What? How the fardles did you logicate that?" she demanded.

" I didn't; those little horrors were watching" said Elissa cheerfully "I've forbidden them straitly to rag you or him so you shouldn't have any trouble."

Sadvia collapsed weakly on a chair in giggles quite as helpless as any of the small girls.

"It was so RIDICULOUS!" she said "And I know I didn't hurt his feelings, only his pride – it's not me he loves, but my Rank!"

"Poor man; he's so very superficial" said Elissa " though Margand thinks he was caught out with a stronger drink than he expected and was suffering its effect. Even so, I'm glad we have more to us than he has. Anyone would think" she winked at her friend "That he was Ranking himself!"

Sadvia poked her friend cheerfully!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The little girls took Elissa's orders MOSTLY seriously.

They could not resist sniffing, loudly and pointedly near Master Tuon and asking each other if Runnerbeasts had been in the vicinity, when their business took them to his class next day.

The poor man returned to his cot in the break to wash and change yet another time.

Elissa heard about it and cuffed them firmly.

They thought it worth it!

Thread fell shortly thereafter, and Elissa left the smallest of her charges with the younger apprentices and support staff who preferred not to walk sweep, telling Kispre that he must wait another turn before he could come and help; and that she would instruct him meanwhile on how to use agenothree sprayers and flamethrowers to build up his muscles so he would be strong enough to use them.

Being told he had to be strong enough to heft the equipment efficiently so as not to risk others satisfied Kispre as being told he was too young without explanation would not have!

"Father likes us to be Turned twelve before we walk sweep" said Ambreen.

"Then abide by your father's wishes by all means; it's a reasonable age to start for non weyrfolk" said Elissa. "And if you wish to build up your muscles too in the meantime, there's no harm in that; and learning how the equipment works. And the lot of you may as well help me clean the things afterwards too; you won't learn any younger."

There were no serious incursions of Thread; the one burrow they saw was already being destroyed by the actions of the grubs, now really spreading efficiently. It was quite routine; save that the Queen's wing swooped low and Lessa waved at the woodcrafters.

Elissa waved back.

It was nice to have appreciation from the Weyr that the woodcrafters kept their end of the bargain; and perhaps the more personal interest of Lessa too for being given a token of love and friendship when she felt everyone was against her and really needed it.

Lessa returned to the Woodcrafter Hall after washing and said in her direct fashion,

"There are too many things going on; I've run away for an hour. Lend me some of your fosterlings to take out between us for a walk!"

Elissa grinned.

"Always happy to oblige a Weyrwoman – and accept help with fosterlings" she said. "But I need to explain some things about them to you" and quickly she filled Lessa in on the odd traits in H'llon's kin. "They may ask questions or make comments that sound cheeky – but they're not meant for such" she emphasised "For they genuinely want to know!"

"Hmm" said Lessa "It's not so uncommon to find something a bit like that in weyrs; loners who give everything to their dragons. Your kids just sound a bit more er, a bit more than usual."

"Partly it's bad upbringing" said Elissa "I LOATHE both their parents – so I'm not unprejudiced on THAT subject. Kislan's always put H'llon down for being the same and now he's jealous of him for being a Rider – oh, the sorry business is nothing to depress you with! Forget the silly lot of them, your irritations and mine, and enjoy the day. You up for a stiff climb?"

"I can climb where any woodcrafter can climb" said Lessa rashly.

"Perhaps Ramoth would take the little ones up the last bit; they'll not make it alone."

Lessa opened her mouth in surprise and the start of indignation; then laughed.

"Why not?" she said "I guess High Reaches really does NOT do protocol! Besides, the middle one has been telling her he's hoping to Impress a dragon like Uncle H'llon and the other two are not in the least bit afraid of her, for all her size bless them!"

"Why should they be?" said Elissa "Dragons don't hurt people, there's nothing to be afraid of!"

"What a nice refreshing attitude!" said Lessa "You'd be amazed how many grown men are nervous of The Biggest as she's called by other dragons."

"She's also the beautifulest" said Elissa "And the bravest. If children cannot feel safe with the greatest of Pern's protectors – in deeds as well as in size – well, who can they feel safe with?"

The chimney leading to the high meadow was indeed a tough climb; and Elissa really noticed it this time, having felt queasy for the last four days!

"Out of condition?" asked Lessa, panting somewhat herself.

"Pregnant" said Elissa "A little fragile!"

"Planned?"

"Accident. I took more notice of your egg than of taking my herbs – so baby's halfway to being yours too" grinned Elissa. "What will be will be, I wasn't planning on clutching yet but I'm not bothered by it."

Lessa reached out a wistful hand.

"I only ever could have F'lessan" she said "Do you mean it, that baby's part mine?"

"You are welcome to be a big part of his or her life if you like – a spare relative!" said Elissa. "I will foster with my husband's mother; but as Gerney's sired by a Benden dragonman that too keeps it all close!"

"Thank you; I would very much like that" said Lessa "Great Shells, they've managed to get off Ramoth for themselves!"

The children ran to greet the women, hindering greatly by helping them out of the chimney!

"Now THAT's driven away any bad thoughts" said Lessa contentedly, throwing herself down on the springy turf. "Any objections though if we go back down the quick way on Ramoth? I know it's cheating but I'm not as young as I was and I'm not sure I can cope with both ways!"

"Well I've not felt so well myself that I'd refuse the lift" said Elissa candidly. "I'm ignoring it, weyrfashion, but I could wish to feel better."

"Oh I threw up every day with F'lessan most of the way through" said Lessa "I sympathise! What is that tree? Are those nuts or fruit forming?"

"It's walnut; the nuts you're familiar with form in those husks, and the husks make a brown dye. You can only harvest the wood in winter, and then need to seal a wound with hot wax; or the sap bleeds it to death. It's one of our most prized woods, a beautiful colour and with a lovely grain."

"I never knew there was so much to know about walnuts!" laughed Lessa. "Well, this is nice, but you know what duties are!" she added wistfully, stretching and getting up.

Elissa nodded.

"Any time you need to take time out, weyrwoman" she said.

"Lessa. The name is Lessa."

"If you'd like that, Lessa. Well! Ramoth's bigger than any dragon I've ridden on; please apologise to her if I'm clumsy!"

"She says you'll be fine" said Lessa.

The children enjoyed the glide down as much as they had enjoyed the flight up; and were utterly unafraid, a fact Lessa continued to marvel over and rejoice in.

"They'll be at the weyr soon I suppose" the Weyrwoman said "High Reaches I suppose for the family connections? I can't tempt you to Benden?"

"They'll make their own choices when they reach the right age" said Elissa. "Of course they've visited High Reaches; and will do so often. And High Reaches does offer the option of a Green to Kilaia if she wants that."

"Get D'vind and Ch'sseri to bring you, your man and the kids over to Benden from time to time" said Lessa "Give them a wider choice!"

"Like dragonets!" grinned Elissa.

Summer started drawing to an end; it was cold for bare feet on the boards in the bedrooms first thing, and there was a chill in the air before the sun came high in the sky. The sun was less intense, though it was warm enough in the middle of the day, even hot at times; but Elissa unpacked blankets for the beds at night and the children were glad of them. Soon the light would start to take on a golden hue that presaged autumn, a time of turn Elissa would always love for the vibrant colours of the leaves on the trees and for it being the time of turn that Gerney had acknowledged his feelings to her, and they had walked ankle deep in rustling leaves, handlocked and happy.

Elissa did not feel much like scrunching through leaves; she felt increasingly queasy most of the time.

Elissa was no idiot.

She consulted her friend L'sya's mother Saranna.

Saranna examined her thoroughly. Elissa did not much enjoy the experience; but bore it with stoic patience. Saranna knew what she was doing and at least two babies in the greater extent of the crafthall owed their lives to her skill, and one of the mothers involved too.

"You need to rest more" the Healer said.

"It just seems silly to have to lie up like an invalid over something so – well, natural!" said Elissa.

Saranna tutted.

"Now then, I know weyrfolk CAN be sensible, even if they do complain all the time they're laid up! L'sya wrote to me that the little weyrwoman T'lana is having to rest HER current pregnancy!"

"She's fallen pregnant a third time? How like H'llon not to bother to mention it! Shells, that'll be four babies – almost up to Kylara! Only a lot more wanted" Elissa added dryly.

"I'm told the weyrfolk have marks on it being twins again" said Saranna "But the point is, if SHE can rest, so can you!"

"I suppose" said Elissa glumly "But T'lana's tiny and, though you wouldn't think it for her energy, a little bit fragile over babies. I guess because she's so small."

"Now then miss! Anyone can be ill with babies – and I don't want to hear any more talk of the kind that confirms the stupider and more hidebound men in their stupid belief that pregnancy is a woman's function and should make no difference to doing chores or pampering the lazy male animal that too often too many of them are! And Gerney's not, so don't try to make him into one!"

"I hadn't thought of it that way" said Elissa "Gerney most certainly ISN'T one of them – he's so careful and tender I forget what idiots there can be out there, he even makes sure to rise first and bring me a pastry and a mug of milk in bed and sees to the littlest ones getting bathed and dressed."

"Well you remember those men every time you want to moan about it being perfectly natural. And rest. I'll send Amula to bring the little ones over to me for a couple of hours in the afternoon when they're not with the Harper so you can lie down and try to doze."

"THAT much rest?"

"My dear, I'll do you no favours by pretending that I think all is well. If you do as I say you MIGHT keep the baby."

The blood drained from Elissa's face.

"You mean there's a strong likelihood I might lose the baby?"

"I'm afraid so. I'll know more in a few sevendays; you're almost three months gone by your calculations, and you won't feel movement until the end of the first trimester at the earliest. When baby moves I can tell more."

Elissa nodded; it was reasonable.

"Must I give up teaching in the mornings?" she asked.

"If it soothes you to be in the latheshop with Gerney, go; but no standing, just be there to answer questions" admonished Saranna.

Elissa did find it soothing to be in the latheshop, particularly as Saranna did not want her treadling for herself. But in consultation with Gerney, the journeyman dropped the class with the youngest; for they were the most wearing. They were capable enough not to need much help now; but Ambreen particularly would run to Elissa for reassurance that she was doing things right, and at the moment the girl found that very wearing!

The fosterlings and apprentices in the cot were told firmly by Gerney that Elissa was not well; and that the older ones were not to plague her but were to ask Tahnee or Sadvia if they had a problem, or even Murade, he added as an afterthought.

"Why?" asked Kilaia.

Gerney guessed wildly – and as it turned out correctly – that the 'why' referred to why Elissa was ill, not why the bigger ones should go to someone else.

"Because something inside her isn't working properly and if she rests, Saranna thinks it might sort itself out" he said.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" asked Kispre.

So much, thought Gerney, for not telling them until nearer the time.

"Yes, Kispre, she is; but the baby might die so we didn't want you to be upset by telling you too soon" said Gerney.

Kispre digested this.

"I'd want to know anyway so I could say goodbye to the baby" he said "Mother was sick with Kilaia; and she shouted something awful all the time. I think Elissa's iller than mother was."

"Yes, son, she is" said Gerney. There was no point lying to the child. For one thing Gerney disapproved; for another he strongly suspected that Kispre would not be fooled for an instant!

"Do you want us to go away?" asked Kispre "And foster with someone else?"

Gerney gathered the three to him fiercely.

"NO! And nor does Elissa! But if you will go and play with other people for a time each day so she can sleep, she can rest until she's better; and that would be appreciated."

Kispre nodded.

"We can help too" said Preslan. "We can get ourselves dressed: Kispre can help me with my boots. P'haps Beka will button Kilaia up so's you can spend time with Elissa"

Gerney nodded.

"You're all good children" he said.

The apprentices had listened in silence; now Sifora said, touching Gerney on the arm,

"I was a twin, but my twin died and my mother thought she'd lost the baby so I was a total surprise to her!"

It was about the longest speech the quiet child had ever made; and Gerney smiled at her, recognising the child's desire to comfort him that Elissa might have a baby die but still birth its twin.

It was not very likely; but it was a kind thought!

Ambreen and Sheesha just held hands and looked horrified; Beka, who already knew that Elissa was pregnant, bit her lip worried. She vowed silently to keep an eye on Elissa!

Gerney moved a comfortable chair and footstool into the latheshop for Elissa, over by the grindstone to supervise sharpening tools, so she might still feel that she did something useful.

Elissa was glad. Being so sick and ill feeling all the time made her feel stupid and listless and she hated it!

The eighth month of the Turn was almost out when she was seized by griping pains; and doubled up with a sharp cry of pain.

Beka and Gerney were both at her side in a bound.

"Take her to Saranna, Master; I can take the class" said Telfer "They're a good bunch, these ones, and won't let you down by being silly with only one journeyman on his own"

There were murmurs of assent from the class, which included Lianka and Kisra. And although it was a big class, with fifteen apprentices, two having to share a lathe, Gerney knew they would behave themselves. He picked up Elissa, who was a dirty khaki colour that indicated how ill she was.

Beka gasped.

"Daddy, she's all bloody! The baby….."

Elissa had very little recollection of the next few hours. Saranna gave her a small amount of fellis juice; and through its mind-numbing cushion, Elissa heard her tell Gerney that there was no point trying to save a dead foetus; and that the best thing was to get it over with quickly with a strong dose of yarrow and fennel.

"That baby is poisoning her, and if it's not already dead, I don't think it's going to survive anyway" said Saranna bluntly.

"Do what is necessary; you're the expert" Gerney was holding Elissa's hand one side, Beka the other. Elissa managed to squeeze both.

"Some…..eggs…..don't hatch" she managed to murmur; then Saranna was giving her the foul mix of bitter yarrow hardly tempered by the aniseed flavour of fennel; and another, stronger dose of fellis.

When Elissa woke up she felt drained, but in some ways much better; and she was in her own bed.

Then she remembered why she felt better and burst into bitter tears.

Gerney was beside her in an instant, holding her, stroking her long brown hair; and Beka was there too, holding her hand and crying as hard as Elissa.

Elissa dragged herself under control and pulled Beka to her.

"Muvver Elissa…. It didn't look much like a baby at all" said Beka "Saranna had to tell Kispre it was 'cos he wanted to say goodbye."

"They….they don't for a while" gulped Elissa, who had seen the results of other miscarriages when running errands at the weyr.

"Saranna said there – there was something wrong with baby and it would not have lived anyway" said Gerney, his own eyes wet.

Elissa nodded.

"We grieve for baby; but we mustn't let it interfere with loving the others" she said, firmly. "They share our loss, as they know about it. It – it may take a little time; I know we never planned a baby but…."

"But baby was part of your body and our lives, and you particularly had grown used to the idea" said Gerney gently.

"OH! I must let Lessa know! Tears welled up in Elissa's eyes. She had told Gerney about the little weyrwoman's wistfulness.

"I'll write, love; you're too ill just now" he said.

"She doesn't like firelizards" said Elissa "Send a letter via D'vind."

Gerney kissed her forehead, where he could reach for Elissa's own crooning, comforting firelizards!

"Quite right, my dear" he said "Now try to sleep again; Beka and I will be in the main room on the lathes there."

Elissa wondered if she was too sad to sleep; but she was too tired not to!


	12. Chapter 12

_A continuing thanks to everyone who's stayed with it! And to Queen of the Jungle for reviewing so faithfully when I can't reply to you as usual! Sneak preview of future fics, although nothing will ever replace the lost baby, Elissa will be able to have more children. _

**Chapter 12**

The children were extra good for the day or two Elissa remained in bed, Preslan bossing Kilaia into 'helping' about the house and Kispre old enough to actually be a real help, silently seeing what needed to be done and doing it. Elissa's smiles of gratitude were balm to his small grief and payment for his efforts!

It was a sevenday after the miscarriage that Lessa blew in, in a flurry that was typical of the Benden Weyrwoman, embracing Elissa fiercely.

"I couldn't come before, not with everything that was happening at Ista!" she said.

Elissa looked blankly at her.

"What has been happening at Ista?" she asked.

Lessa stared.

"You haven't heard? Well I guess what's been happening to you has been more overwhelming on a personal level….there was the mating flight and T'kul and B'zon turned up, the old fools…..and Salth broke his heart open trying to fly Caylith…." Her voice faltered and Elissa took her hand. No Rider could ever contemplate the death of a dragon with equanimity. Lessa went on, "T'kul was insane – hardly surprising – he fought F'lar. F'lar had to kill him; and Master Robinton had a heart attack!" she finished on a sob, tears running down her face unheeded "And if the dragons hadn't been in his mind to keep him awake he would have died and it would have been my fault, in part at least, because I was angry at him over the egg…..we'd patched it up but he was hurt….."

The two women clung together, crying over the various excess emotions of the last few days, crying for each other's distress; and they were healing tears for them both.

oOoOo

Once Elissa was back to her old fitness – Saranna supervised her regimen of exercise – she and Gerney took their fosterlings for a long walk to pick blackberries and kick their way through autumnal leaves.

"Autumn is an ending; but it's the promise of beginnings too" Elissa explained. "See, though the leaves are falling, there are little buds already forming under the place they fall from, all wrapped up and protected against winter's cold, ready to burst forth in spring. We have lost a baby, but life keeps on going on. It's a cycle; all life is."

"Why is autumn?" demanded Kilaia.

"Because the trees need to rest" said Elissa. "Trees go to sleep over the winter like you go to sleep at night. All the sap drops down and they look quite dead; but they are only asleep, and resting, so they may be ready for new life in spring with vigorous new leaves when the sap rises!"

"Syrup is made of sap" said Kispre "What's sugar snow? I heard father mention it and I tasted it but it wasn't sweet and he clipped me for asking."

Elissa tried to hide the spurt of anger in her eyes towards Kislan.

"Oh, that's all right, Kispre" Preslan butted in "Father clipped me when I asked why autumn was, like Kilaia just did; it means he doesn't know the answer and can't be bothered to ask someone else. Gerney and Elissa know more than father and mother."

"Out of the mouths of babes" Gerney muttered to himself "Well, I think it's nice to learn as much as you can, don't you?" he said aloud "Sugar snow is very important! But I'll get to explaining it in a moment, because you need to know how syrup comes first! When it gets warm, the sap rises and the sugar makers drive little pipes into the trees to tap it, and that can be cooked off to make syrup and also sugar. And after a while when the sap has risen enough, there's no more to tap. But if there's a cold snap so it snows while the sap is being collected, the sap falls a bit, then rises again so it's at the right state to be tapped for longer" he smiled "We can go to the sugaring off party as a family if you'd like, next spring."

"And eat maple candy?" asked Kispre hopefully.

"I never had any maple candy" said Beka.

"It's nice" said Kispre. "We didn't go last turn 'cos father said I was too stupid and the others too young but he did bring home candy."

"I'm sorry we were too busy this turn" said Elissa "NEXT turn we'll all certainly go!"

Blackberries were for the moment, however, reasonable rivals to maple candy; and soon little hands and mouths were purple! The baskets were rapidly filled too with blackberries and mulberries and bilberries for making bubbly pies!

"How can we have bubbly pies all turn round when they only grow in autumn?" demanded Preslan.

"Saranna and the other kitchen women dry them on rocks and store them away" said Elissa "And some they make into preserves; and store in glass jars, to eat at breakfast in porridge or on toasted bread, and to add to the dried ones for a bit of juice in pies. A good headwoman knows how to store and dry and preserve in various ways those goodies that are seasonal so there will always be plenty more down cellar in a klah mug. Kilaia, you will spend some time learning from Saranna as you get older, so you may one day run your own craftcot; or even be a weyrwoman!"

It was lovely to see things afresh, teaching small children, answering wondering questions; and to wonder how Kislan and Prelaia could bear to miss out on this wonderful time by using a clipped ear in answer to a question!

One day, she and Gerney would have their own babies and would teach them too. No-one would replace the unnamed baby of unknown sex; but there would be others to love. Or, if she turned out to be unable to carry a baby to term, there would be other fosterlings. Elissa knew she had much to be grateful for – a good and caring husband, and these children, all of them so precious, those unrelated to either of them as much as the three that were Gerney's kin!

Autumn days shortened; blustery winds blew. Wind always seemed to make apprentices silly, and this was no exception! There was a tacit agreement amongst the Masters that for a few sevendays the apprentices should be allowed out of lessons early in the afternoon on fine days to give them as much time playing outside as possible for the good of their health; and Elissa let her younger fosterlings join in the hilarities of leaf fights that often ensued! Those first turn apprentices from Igen or Ista or from those places where trees were predominantly evergreens had never seen so many brightly coloured leaves all together, for Lemos had the largest stand of hardwoods on Pern, gradually built up over the Long Interval and kept standing by F'lar's indulgence and the diligence of the Journeymen living in craftcots scattered far and wide through the forest's depths. The colours were a delight!

It did not take much to persuade the four older little girls in her care to collect as many fallen leaves as they could that were perfect, and press them carefully between sheets of less than perfect paper that could be spared, and laid under the rough mat at the door on which everyone wiped their feet. Once numberless feet tramping over the leaves had pressed them it would give the children something to do over the winter on days when they could not get outside to play. They might then glue the pressed leaves to sheets of finer paper and carefully write out all they knew about the tree it came from; and on finer days might sketch the skeleton of the trees to put alongside the leaves to add to their work with Journeyman Leichalle and Master Challer. To this end, Elissa also suggested the children draw the fruit of all the trees while it was falling; and put away their sketches carefully. She would sew together all their assembled paper leaves in spring so each might have her own book! Kispre asked if he might do the same, in preparation for his own apprenticeship; and Elissa saw no reason he should not. He was too clever a boy not to need to be kept thoroughly occupied!

The two little ones kept bright leaves too; and when the older ones had taken their pick for their scrapbooks, all the children might while away cold and inclement days by using the dried leaves to make pictures from, those that were left over!

Even several sheets high, space under the mat started running out; so Elissa let the children slip a couple of boards under their mattresses with more leaves between!

"The smaller ones would be very pretty included in paper" said Beka "You know – a little leaf at the top, so everyone would recognise that as coming from me if I made some."

"I don't see why you shouldn't give it a try" said Elissa.

"I'm going to rot the surface off some in a bucket too, to make skeleton leaves like you sometimes find in last turn's leaf mould" said Beka. "They're pretty and delicate and could add surface to a piece of paper without spoiling it for writing on."

"You could too use leaves with strong ribs on the couching cloths to just leave a pattern in the paper" suggested Elissa. "I think that having pretty paper would sell well to frivolous minded Holder girls too."

Beka thought about that.

"Yes" she said "And in spring I shall press flowers to put in too. They'd like that."

Tahnee was chagrined that it had not been HER idea; but was a generous natured little soul and praised Beka unreservedly.

"And for patterns in the paper, lace too might be laid on the couching cloths!" she suggested.

"If you're covering the whole surface of the paper be sure it's not too bumpy to write on" warned Elissa "It has to be practical as well as pretty – it's still too precious to waste!"

The little girls nodded eagerly!

Lianka had little interest in paper; turning was her first love, followed by free carving, and she was quite content to leave paper and printing experiments to others! The three youngest apprentices in the craftcot were too young to be permitted experimentation anyway; for they had not yet got enough knowledge of the basics!

The time was drawing on for Master Bendarek and the other Masters to make up the Journeymen; some crafts posted Journeymen at the same time as apprentice confirmations, just before the new intake of apprentices; Bendarek liked his Journeymen to have several months settling in before the majority of new apprentices came, so they should not feel uncertain and – in some ways – as new as the the new children. Of course, new apprentices who were already half trained might come to be confirmed as Journeymen at any time of turn, usually like Elissa sent to take advantage of the facilities of the crafthall for their final training, and they might be ready for confirmation early, or require a few months beyond the time of turn usual for promotions. Bendarek preferred however to make all promotions together; as he had with Elissa.

It was typical too of Bendarek's kindness with the newest apprentices who had come raw to the Hall that he posted confirmed status at the same time as posting Journeymen on any who had already made the grade to remain after just nine months; and in some ways it was a warning to those not confirmed early to be sure and work hard for the remaining three months of the turn to achieve their own confirmation or risk being sent home as insufficiently talented or dedicated!

Bendarek discussed the newest apprentices with the teaching journeymen as well as with the Masters; though the journeymen were careful not to give an opinion until asked!

"How have the little girls been in your cot, Elissa?" asked Bendarek.

"Oh once they'd settled down, no trouble, Master; and as eager to discuss their lessons as any prank they were planning" said Elissa. "I'd say all of them take their apprenticeship seriously; and I can't fault the lathework of Sifora or Ambreen, or the girl Rahani that lives with Isrona."

"You expelled Sheesha from the latheclass I believe?"

"Yes master. Not because she could not treadle but because she seemed disinclined to try. She might learn later; Sadvia has been working hard at it and is now quite acceptable at lathework."

"Sadvia has shown a lot more application since Kyal was posted – I believe in all classes" remarked Master Idoghan, getting sidetracked "I think she used to lean on him. Sorry, Ben, we're still on the little ones."

"As taking females as a matter of course in turning is a new experiment" said Gerney "I don't think we can discount Sheesha for being inept at treadling. Her work carving onto bobbins turned by others that I have seen looks adequate, though neither she nor Ambreen have as much general talent as Sifora."

"I'll back Sheesha too" said Tuon "She and Ambreen enjoy marquetry and are no worse than any first turn boy at this time; but the glue! The mess! I swear they stuck more veneer to themselves than to a baseboard – but they do try and try hard. Sifora I have to say just gets on with it; she has no imagination but she is meticulous. If they continue working together as they did over the draughts board I see they would add much each to the others, Ambreen's imagination, Sheesha's incurable optimism and Sifora's ability!"

"You mean Ambreen's spreading of everything around her, Sheesha's insouciant carelessness and Sifora's ability to clear up after them" grinned Arkis.

"That too" said Tuon "If I can only keep them separate from Zoron. He rises so easily…."

Elissa groaned.

A lad who rose easily was such tempting bait to two high spirited and mischievous girls!

"Exactly, Elissa" said Tuon.

"I have found several of the boys well worthy of confirmation" said Isimy "Not counting the three older ones of course; and Zoron was one of them. He's the most boring child I've ever met but his skill copying is considerable."

"The others?" asked Bendarek.

"Jereld; he can't make up his mind but he has a good eye and a steady hand once someone has pushed him into a choice of what to do. Again if he's told exactly what to do and doesn't have to design he's very capable. The opposite of Ambreen and Sheesha who have wonderful ideas well beyond their level of ability to carry them out. The third is Sello; he's no genius but he's hardworking and patient. He'll be an adequate if not exactly exciting journeyman one day. And while I think of it, I'd say Aser was much the same, not about to set Pern alight but competent and industrious. Sifora has more skill but shows again little fire yet, though that might be while she's still finding her feet. It took H'llon a while. And then there's Larek, who has both talent and imagination and gives as good as he gets with those little horrors of Elissa's."

"Oy, cousin Isimy, don't go blaming me for them!" laughed Elissa "How does he manage?" she could not contain her curiosity.

"Oh the little irritants changed a pattern he had chosen that looked all floral for a woodblock, that when printed and mirror imaged would have revealed stretched letters formed of petals saying 'stinko'; only Larek managed to work it out – or looked at the other side of the parchment against the light, I don't know which – and managed to carve a perfectly good floral pattern omitting the letter shapes so as not to waste the block, all without them noticing; and there they were giggling when he went to print it up. The grin he gave them TOLD them he'd not been had – and that he knew who had been responsible!"

Elissa groaned.

"They WILL grow out of it" she said hollowly "I HAVE to believe it!"

"It was to let off steam when you were so ill" said Isimy "I saw no harm in that; or I might have been harder on them for possible waste of materials."

"Thanks" said Elissa, touched that those two had felt a need to let off steam!

"So, are we agreed on the boys Isimy suggested and all four girls?" said Bendarek. "The older one, Rahani I've heard no complaints of."

"Like Aser, she's a good persevering worker" said Isimy "Possibly a little more imaginative than Sifora."

"If I've reservations on any it's Sheesha" rumbled big Master Challer "But she's clever enough and she can recognise every type of tree we use. She's just rather heedless and scatty."

"Age will improve that, Challer" said Tuon.

"Well I don't think much of her attitude or Ambreen's" said Jaben.

"You can't hold a grudge over one trick, Jaben" said Isimy crisply "The rest of us thought the idea of your face when trying to hammer in cheese must have been priceless. Grow up and learn to laugh at yourself! Can you fault their work?"

Jaben scowled and muttered something; but as it was well known that he would soon carp at any deficiency out loud, it could be assumed that he had no real criticism to make of their work whatever he thought of their manners!

"For my part I have no problem with any of those suggested" said Gerney "Aser is good on lathe; I'd say he has more talent there than in carving if you had reservations. He and Rahani are about equal in that."

"I can see him too in forestry" Challer added "He bought paper and has made a collection of bark rubbings using coloured carnauba wax to identify characteristics of trees. I like that initiative."

"He's good at lathe, but not to the degree my usual specials are" said Gerney "I'm taking Lianka and Beka as my specials and maybe Kisra if she wants to."

"ALL girls?" Bendarek teased.

Gerney flushed, and laughed.

"It took Elissa to show me that my prejudice was unreasonable" he said "The only one of this intake with real talent is Sifora, and later she'll special too. But of the boys, the only one with real talent at lathe is one of the bigger ones, Birgel, and I'll not have him as a special, for talent or no he's the most heedless piece and frankly for a boy of fifteen turns still to play the same puerile tricks as I can accept from the likes of Ambreen and Sheesha is disgusting. And him Craftbred too! I don't know WHAT they were thinking of in the Hall at Threewoods Hold!"

"I'm not entirely satisfied with what I've heard of Threewoods, actually" said Bendarek. "H'llon reported that the widow of a logger and their son were NOT given succour by the Hall after the man died on craft business; and even if it were his own carelessness that is not right."

There were cries of outrage.

"You've sent a representation of our displeasure, of course, Master?" said Challer.

"I have" said Bendarek "With this boy's lack of preparation too I'm half inclined to withdraw the Master there and send one of you; but I'm puzzled as to who I can live without."

"Make Arkis up and sent him" said Gerney, nodding at the big journeyman. "He's quite ready to be a master – like H'llon is."

"Too young" said Bendarek.

"Then make him acting master as you did with H'llon and send Isimy" Gerney modified his suggestion "No-one's going to fart about with that big lug!"

Isimy grinned.

"Thanks for the unsolicited testimonial."

Bendarek considered.

"And that's not such a fool idea either. Thanks, Gerney; I'll consider that if Isimy is willing to go and leave his apprentices in the hands of his little brother."

"Little being only in relative terms" grinned Isimy, glancing across at Arkis, who was almost as tall and wide across the shoulders as he was. "I'll gladly do all I can, Master, to avoid one of our Halls falling into disrepute. So long as you promise me faithfully NEVER to send my nephew Kislan to help me."

Bendarek gave him a thin smile.

"I promise" he said "And in reason you may pick yourself any couple of journeymen to go with you."

"Well I'll wait on who you make up for that" said Isimy "I've put in MY list of recommendations."

Elissa sighed.

The journeymen teachers were NOT privy to the Masters' deliberations on who would be journeymen; and she and the others would now have to withdraw!


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Elissa knew in advance who at least one of the new journeymen would be; for she was asked by Bendarek if she would Walk Sadvia to her place at the Journeymen's table. She also had a shrewd idea that Alaran would also be made up because Isimy had made some joking remark about the boy having to borrow winter woollies from H'llon for the High Reaches climate!

Isimy had been questioning the boy Birgel closely in company with Master Bendarek; and the boy had been going about looking a trifle distressed and very thoughtful!

The announcement of confirmation was made first; and the nine babes who were definitely sure of a place next turn as apprentices raised a cheer worthy of twice as many older voices! As all but Sello were amongst the very youngest, there was some chagrin amongst the others, and a few mutterings; which Master Bendarek silenced, adding

"That is not to say that the rest of you will not be confirmed; these few have shown already that they are worthy of continued training in the craft despite, in the case of some of them, certain ah, extracurricular activities!" Sheesha and Ambreen had the grace to blush as he went on, "I suggest the rest of you apply yourselves seriously to your work! I do not send home any I do not have to, and if you fail confirmation at Turn's end I will consider each case individually, for I will delay confirmation if I feel there is a good chance another turn will make the grade and more."

Partly this was the Master's kindness; partly because the craft was too small to afford to lose anyone who loved wood!

This too was the final feast of the paying students, who had been there a 'whole half turn' as Ambreen remarked with more descriptive surprise than grammatical elegance. After the confirmation postings of the apprentices, each paying student was to be presented with a small certificate of competency in the disciplines they had explored; and graded, at Isimy's insistence from 'Pass' through 'Competent' to 'Excellent'.

Raveny had been graded 'excellent' in all classes; Murade had achieved 'competent' across the board. Nekul had managed to pass each discipline – just, as Tuon had muttered – and Claria had managed a pass in each of carving and box construction. She did not pass marquetry; Tuon's liking of the ranking did not stretch to compromising his craft to give high marks that were not deserved, and he had disgustedly told Gerney that the girl was so slapdash, SHEESHA could better her., which, as Gerney later said to Elissa was certainly going some!

Liemi was not called up; and the apprentices looked at him curiously.

"But him, he's awful good!" hissed one boy to another "Surely they ain't not going to give him a certifiacate?"

The Hall Harper, a mild mannered elderly man, winced at that awful and piercing sentence.

"Now" said Bendarek blandly "Let us get on to the matter of posting Journeymen. And to start off we have here a young man who did not come to us as an apprentice but who has worked hard enough to be accorded the honour earlier even than I thought he might….Liemi, if you would Walk…."

Liemi, grinning all over his face and tears flowing simultaneously from his eyes in surprise and joy, rose; and with Telfer at his elbow made the journey, the longest one in his life in feeling, as Elissa well knew! He came to the Journeymen's table: and nobody cheered harder than Murade and Raveny! The indignant boys who had wondered at Liemi being left out did, however try their best to rival them!

"Before going on, I have to say I have another announcement concerning our paying guests" said Bendarek "As Raveny and Murade would like the woodcrafters who made them feel so welcome to be the first to hear of their betrothal."

The logicators cheered; it had been something several of them had suspected for a while!

The rest of the journeymen were then to be announced; a couple of older lads who had worked with Kyal, whom Elissa knew slightly as steady senior apprentices; and to her delight, if not surprise, Alaran, who was walked by his cousin Arkis beaming all over his face. Then Bendarek gave the nod to Elissa; and the young Journeyman slid out of her place to stand by Sadvia's chair as the Master announced the girl's name. Sadvia glanced up – and her face was glowing with joy!

"Walk, Sadvia, Walk" the chant came again, and Elissa knew she was grinning as cheerfully and inanely as her friend Sadvia was!

There were two more.

Nobody was surprised that hard-working Velit was promoted; his careful journeyman teacher had prepared the boy well and his own hard work had done the rest! The final youth, also escorted by Arkis, was so surprised he was almost in tears as Liemi had been! Margand had applied himself to treadling as Tahnee had suggested; and to everything else with a grim determination to catch up with other apprentices his age. With the result of having more than caught up!

"And there is one more promotion" said Bendarek when the cheering had subsided. "Acting-master's tassels to Journeyman Arkis; who is a turn or two too young to be a full Master. He WILL however be teaching carving in the place of Master Isimy, since Master Isimy will be leaving us for the time being at least to run a crafthall in the High Reaches. He has requested Journeymen Alaran and Margand as his personal helpers; and some of you senior apprentices may be picked too, so be ready to pack if you are – it's a good opportunity to make sure your own presses are tidy as can be!" he added to a mix of groans and rueful laughter.

"Fardles!" said Alaran "Elissa, reckon I could turn a stone hot water bottle?"

"Idiot" said Elissa amicably.

Margand was staring open mouthed.

"He – he requested me?"

"Reckon he knows your worth" said Alaran "Long underwear time for us – especially with winter coming up!"

"You are clever and adaptable, Margand, as well as very talented" Isimy came over to speak quietly "It's not been well run; we'll need to work together to sort that out, lad. Which is how I won my claim for you over Tuon's demand for you as his assistant; my need is greater!"

Margand flushed in surprise and gratification; not only had he been requested, but two Masters had wanted him as their assistant!

More than that Isimy would not say for the moment; now was the time for the boys – young men, he corrected himself – to celebrate their promotion.

And a celebration it was! And it would not end with the feast, in many ways, for on the morrow Arkis and Leichalle had decided it was time to be married; and Murade and Raveny invited to stay for it!

The wedding was lovely; Leichalle and Arkis were so plainly in love! Elissa had taken the children to gather up the last of the bright leaves and hastily dry them to use for part of the wedding shower as more appropriate for the daughter of the Masterforester than the traditional wedding grain; for the leaves were as much a symbol of the fertility of the craft as grains were of the more mundane fertility of a union!

After the feast, Isimy called his new assistants into his room.

"Let me pour you both klah….this is going to be a long haul" said Master Isimy.

Alaran and Margand were beginning to wonder just what being his special assistants at Threewoods Crafthall might entail!

The Master spoke seriously to his new assistants and explained to them the various reasons that Master Bendarek had seen fit to withdraw the Master in charge of Threewoods Craft Hall. He told them too that it had come to light that Serelis' father was a journeyman in a craftcot attached to Threewoods; and then needed to explain to a horrified Margand how a seven-turn-old child had been sold to a trader to hide the fact that she had lost a foot through her own father's carelessness. Alaran of course knew the story from H'llon! There was more that the Master had gleaned from the boy Birgel, the son of one of the teaching Journeymen; and that, with the boy's general bad attitude and lack of competence was very telling against the Hall. That the same hall had failed to take care of the widow of a logger and their orphaned son but left them destitute drew cries of horror from both new Journeymen!

"There is now too a new Lady Holder of the Hold that hosts the crafthall; who will have her own troubles to contend with after her grandfather, who was previous Holder, was murdered" Isimy told them. "And it was her grandfather who gave succour to Ciella and her young son Diccon. He's apprenticed happily at High Reaches Weyr now, under H'llon; and not before time that the craft stepped in! Incidentally, we'll have backup if we need it from acting Woodcraftmaster Bronze Rider H'llon and thus the Weyr in general; and we shall make sure if we invoke his name to impress ALL his titles on the lax crew we'll be licking into shape and make fardling well sure they use them!"

"Aren't there ANY Masters left there likely to be helpful? And won't they rather resent us, especially as we're both young?" asked Margand.

"No other Masters" rumbled Isimy "One Master and half a dozen in-Hall journeymen, and perhaps twice that in their own independent craftcots. The number is unconfirmed. Maybe there's more; maybe less. Records seem a little….incomplete. Billan could keep better records assisted by Sheesha and a fair of new-hatched firelizards!"

The youths laughed, but looked aghast. Billan was not the most scrupulous of record keepers amongst the journeymen; and anyone helped by a heedless piece like little apprentice Sheesha was likely to be in a muddle be they as careful as Master Challer! And with the addition of firelizards, untrained and enthusiastic….

"I HOPE that's an exaggeration, Master" said Alaran.

"Alas, only barely!" said Isimy. "In the Hold we'll work with Ciella, the logger's widow; she's now headwoman there so she has understanding of our troubles which may help and she has undertaken to write out a list of all the journeymen she knew of. It's good of her to go to the trouble after her unnecessary sufferings. By all accounts, the laxity runs to more than the records; by what that boy Birgel has said in detailed questioning, the whole atmosphere is lax. Coming here was a shock to him; he was expecting confirmation as journeyman to be a foregone conclusion because he thought he 'knew all there was to know' if you please!"

"Toerag!" said Alaran indignantly "KISRA knows more than he does!"

"Quite" said Isimy, dryly. "And he is discovering that; and galling it is too to a big boy of fifteen to be surpassed by a maid child only just Turned twelve. And in a turn or two perhaps the lad might return having finally caught up to make journeyman, and make himself useful. But expect mucking about; and insolence; and a limit to the number of classes. There is NO marquetry taught, nor advanced cabinet making, nor turning. Alaran, you will teach lathe; Margand, you will teach general decoration, that is starting chip carving as well as marquetry and parquetry. They teach logging and sawing – and even those vital skills to loggers not very well it seems if Birgel is an advanced specimen to our study – basic wood jointing skills; and that came CLOSE to Master Jaben's stringent standards, almost to the level of an apprentice who'd studied two full turns, and it's the one thing Birgel may be said to be good at. If 'good' quite covers it. The boy's father is the journeyman teaching that. I'd like to take some senior apprentices of our lot to stiffen the general atmosphere; but the three that spring readily to mind are likely to get picked on for looking or seeming different."

"Tirlo – stutter; Teerel; twisted spine; Kamar – squashed face?" guessed Alaran, the three being cronies of his own from his own so recent apprentice days.

"Exactly" said Isimy. "None of which affect them as crafters; but children can be cruel; and wild, out of control children…"

Margand winced.

"Tage is too gentle; they'd get at him" he said "And Seeta the same. She couldn't say boo to a wherry! Bierel? Sarney?"

"Bierel has a turn for mischief without letting it out of hand….Sarney keeps himself to himself but he's not afraid to do what he has to do. I'll ask Master Bendarek. Alaran?"

Alaran grinned.

"Bierel and I once put Master Batol's – as he was then – underlinen on top of the log store tied to the lightning conductor" he said. "He is younger than me, by a turn or so; but he knows the difference between pranking and daftness, he's no ovine to go bleating after some idiot leader. I like Sarney too, he's a good sort; he and Tage are by way of being friends though….still, Tage is friendly with 'most everyone. Let's have Kamar; Sarney and Bierel won't let anyone cheek him in their hearing and he's got heaps of self confidence, you know!"

Isimy nodded.

"Good; three will be a good cadre. And Sarney is likely to be made up to Journeyman next turn too, he's a turn older than the other two."

"Yes" said Alaran "He's my age; and Margand's."

"True" said Isimy "But some are readier than others. He'll have to settle for tassels only for now; as he already has."

"What other skills DO they teach, sir?" asked Margand. "If it's only forestry, sawcraft and jointing, it's scarcely a woodcraft hall at all – and even more shame that a boy Birgel's age couldn't make any grade on so meagre a group of skills!"

"They do have a wheelmaker and a papermaker and a varnishmaker who I presume must have SOME knowledge of dyecraft. And there's a free carver. And I'm doubtful about the efficacy of any of them judging by Birgel's work since he was supposed to be a star pupil!"

There were mutters of assent from the new journeymen!

The group from the Woodcrafter Hall were to leave soon; and Master Barlis, lately Master of Threewoods, would return to the parent crafthall. Barlis was a forester, trained under Master Challer; and in Challer's estimation good at what he did.

Apparently he was not so good at inspiring his followers nor at keeping discipline.

oOoOo

The first person to approach Master Isimy when he arrived was Journeyman Hagel, Birgel's father.

"May I ask, Master, why my son wrote to me that he did not make the grade for journeyman?" he asked respectfully enough.

Isimy regarded him; the face was open, though he thought there was a touch of petulance to it.

"Because he didn't" he said "And not by a long chalk. His work is by no means good enough for a journeyman; all his skills are poor save jointing, in which he is equal to my twelve-turn-old niece. He is in that respect average for a second-turn apprentice and good enough to pass on to cabinet making, but in a youth of fifteen turns that is disappointing, very disappointing. Especially in the craftbred who one would expect to be a turn ahead, not a turn behind. Of course, had he applied himself from the moment he reached us, he might have pulled himself up; others have managed in the past who do NOT have his advantage of background; but he preferred to lark and play."

Hagel gave a deprecating laugh.

"Oh well, they're only young once. Apprentices like to play."

Isimy shrugged.

"Not if they want to be journeymen. You can't have it both ways, Journeyman Hagel; if he's young enough to want to play – and frankly the pranks he got up to we wondered if there was something wrong with him since they were more appropriate to the games our new intake were playing, little boys and girls of ten and eleven – then he is too young mentally to consider as a journeyman even if his skills WERE up to scratch. Which they were not. Journeymen put childishness behind them; we have dangers in our craft that do NOT forgive heedless silliness! Perhaps that is why this Hall has a poor safety record too! Incidentally" he moved on swiftly "Birgel says he has a sister who has not been allowed to apprentice; why is that?"

"Oh well, we're only a small Hall; we have few enough places without wasting any on girls who are only likely to get married and be lost to the craft" said Hagel.

Isimy blinked. It sounded glib and learned.

"What a parochial, hidebound oldtimer attitude! SOME girls marry and devote time to children – and generally give those children their first craft preparation! In Lemos we have a number of very talented female journeymen, some of whom are married and juggle quite adequately married life and craft, even as a man does. Two of them even teach part time, including my sister-in-law. You'll get your daughter here later this very day if she's willing; I'm sure she'll catch up readily, you don't seem to expect high standards after all. I'll set one of my senior apprentices bringing her on."

"Er….yes Master" said Hagel. He was still fuming over his son being considered inadequate; and fuming even more over the fact that it might be true!

"Assemble the teaching journeymen for me; I intend to speak to them" said Isimy. "Know that many of my general remarks will NOT apply to you; your boy is a lazy little scrub but I see your teaching has been careful enough and will improve when the discipline of this whole Hall is tightened."

Hagel brightened somewhat; and went to do Isimy's bidding.

oOoOo

The Journeymen of Threewoods crafthall looked wary, not to say shifty.

"Do you know why I was sent in Master Barlis' place?" asked Isimy.

There were shaken heads.

Isimy began by pointing out that Barlis was a perfectly good Forestmaster; but had let discipline slide. He cited the two examples of ill usage that had come so far to master Bendarek's ears; adding dryly that he would not be surprised to learn of other accidents the news of which had NOT got about; and equal attendant failure to care for dependants.

There were uncomfortable shuffles and a long, loud silence.

"As I thought" said Isimy grimly "The record keeping here is lax too; and if the lot of you were proud enough of yourselves to think that boy Birgel was well prepared for Journeymanship you are deluding nobody but yourselves! If his preparation is an example of your collective teaching, I'm half inclined to get rid of the lot of you and bring in a pack of second turn apprentices from Lemos Hall who would appear to have a better grasp of which end of a chisel is the dangerous one than you lot of scrofulous no-hopers! Discipline appears to be non-existent – and no wonder you have accidents! And the few meagre classes you manage to teach are poorly taught and lacking in depth. I presume each of you knew enough about your own subject to be promoted to Journeyman in the first place; but there's a lot more to teaching than knowing – even if you haven't spent the intervening turns forgetting! I suspect some of you are suffering in your classes from the laxity of behaviour instilled from the very top: and if you have not had the force of personality to impose discipline in your own classes, a bunch of wherry-brained boys permitted to run riot will not make your task easier."

"It's not easy to impose order if discipline is countermanded by other journeymen currying favour to some of the boys" growled on journeyman.

"You are?"

"Kaybez. I teach Varnish and finishing; and when you put a boy on bread and water for three days and he laughs at you because another tells him he need not worry about that and orders kitchen to feed him, what do you do?"

"The countermand was not ratified by the Master?" asked Isimy.

Kaybez shook his head.

Isimy's eyes narrowed. He was also pleased however to note that Kaybez was sufficiently loyal to his own hall to name no names instead of trying to shift blame.

"NO Journeyman has the right to countermand the punishment of another; nor any Master to any Master. Let us get that quite clear" he said softly. "The Master of a crafthall may be appealed to if a punishment is felt to be harsh, humiliating or unjust. If anyone feels a punishment imposed is too harsh he will come to ME. NO journeyman will countermand the punishment of another. Conversely, no journeyman should be using serious physical punishment; a light cuff as a reproof is acceptable; no more. I do not, of course, count putting a boy – or girl I suppose – on a short stint at the bottom of the saw pit for dangerous behaviour in the mill. It's an unpleasant but necessary part of the job and if they will lark about it provides some time for reflection. If no-one ia on punishment of course, how a rota is organised is up to the journeyman in charge so long as it is fair. Strict rota is how we do it in Lemos; at the woodhall at High Reaches Weyr they dice for it. If the lads think it fair, it probably is. It does NOT mean that favourites get saved saw duty any more than from any punishment. Do I make myself clear on all these points?"

There was a murmur of rather sullen assent.

Isimy was not going out of his way to be popular; and he had won no friends so far – save perhaps a grudging willinglness to see how he went from Kaybez.

"Very well" the Master said "There are two more teaching Journeymen who will help to bring this Hall a little more in line with a true crafthall; Journeyman Alaran will introduce the craft of turning; and Journeyman Margand will teach Marquetry, inlay and the start of free carving to free up the carving master to teach more fretwork and block carving for the weavercraft."

The looks the new Journeymen were given smacked of the looks apprentices were wont to bestow on Masters' pets.

Alaran managed to resist the temptation to stick out his tongue!

All this reached the Woodcrafter Hall in brief via Alaran's little firelizard Wally; though before than, when not a day had passed since their departure a lad of some fourteen turns arrived in Lemos dragonback; and reported to the Master with a letter from Isimy.

oOoOo

Gerney later told Elissa grimly that the boy had been threatened punishment and unpleasant duties by one of the teaching journeymen to make his mother, the headwoman, countermand the punishment of water rations on the said journeyman's favourites.

"And" said Gerney "It's not my business – thank the first egg! – and I'm sure Isimy will sort it out."

"I really would NOT like to be in that journeyman's shoes" said Elissa, horrified "What an unpleasant tyke! Why it's no more or less than blackmail – he's nothing short of a criminal!"

"That's shells' own truth!" agreed Gerney!

_A/N The troubles at Threewoods deserved its own story which will follow after I've completed this one._


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N Thanks Geowyn! This is the last chapter - first chapter of Threewoods will go up either later today or tomorrow[depending on RL]! I do have original fics both historical mystery and Science Fiction and I'm still trying to get an agent... thank you for your confidence in me: it's very cheering! _

**Chapter 14**

Arkis knew Isimy's ways well enough that transferring the big jolly Master made few enough changes in Lemos! The new Master, Barlis, from Threewoods was not teaching – Bendarek did not in retrospect think him capable – but worked with a few steady journeymen in logging. As indeed the man had been doing in Threewoods; the crafthall there had grown up almost by accident, as the crafting there increased and a number of boys were sent as apprentices; Master Barlis had found himself head of a crafthall almost by default and he had not been up to it. In truth the poor man was much relieved to be back in his depth, and not made to feel too much to blame for his failure to maintain standards, for Bendarek soon realised what had happened and made Barlis feel more comfortable with a few kind words!

The changes were a sevenday wonder and were settling down to normal when Ch'sseri and D'vind dropped by with the startling news of the discovery of the original settlement of the Ancients in Southern! Master Bendarek was invited to come and see, and Lessa had sent a personal invitation to Elissa too. Elissa asked Gerney,

"Shall I?"

He smiled.

"Why not? Lessa will like to see you. These little monkeys won't play Sadvia up a second time."

"They'd better not….anyway she's a journeyman now and can put them on water rations if she can't manage to be more original than that. What about the little ones?"

"Why not take Kilaia? I can see to the boys."

Elissa nodded.

Why not a treat for the littlest one!

Kilaia had no interest in mounds or ancients. It was dragons she was interested in; and chattered happily to all and sundry that she met from Ruth to Ramoth.

"Elissa" said Lessa, when they landed on the war plain with its extensive mounds "Does that child hear all dragons?"

Elissa looked surprised.

"All children do, don't they?" she said "You learn to block it out because it's a bit wearing and kind of lose it as you reach adolescence. At least, that's how it was for me."

Lessa blinked.

"You used to hear all dragons?"

"Yes, I believe so….I'd almost forgotten. It wasn't very important to me and I wasn't interested so I didn't listen. It interfered with my crafting."

Lessa threw up her hands.

"My DEAR! Be sure your daughters – when you have them – are put to Golden eggs! And encourage that child NOT to stop listening!"

"If that's her wish" said Elissa "I'll not force her if she finds it a distraction though. But she wants to Impress and be a woodcrafter so I guess she'll carry on hobnobbing with the big fellas. And I gues some people don't grow out of it, 'cos T'lana hasn't, and Siriwenne doesn't plan too as she can be useful to the Weyr. And you do and Brekke does."

Lessa just shook her head in exasperation.

"Most people do not grow out of it because most people do not have it in the first place" she said with commendable patience "And we think those people born with it TREMENDOUSLY valuable!" she flung up her hands in exasperation "And you weyrbred!"

Lessa had the sense to leave the subject to show Elissa and Bendarek around; and was sufficiently excited by the finds to put aside the bitter disappointment of the loss of another dragon hearing girl with the comforting thought that she would take every interest in young Kilaia who was chuckling away at a conversation only she, the dragons and Lessa herself could hear about Ruth being cleaned whiter than white by importunate firelizards!

Meantime, Elissa was interested by the printed books.

"We need to study how these are out together" she said "Some appear to be glue down one edge to hold the pages – and I would think that continued use would loosen that, at least with the glues availabel to us. Others seem to be sewn but not all together; which makes sense because you'd need ever larger pages and careful printing adjustments."

"Why?" asked Lessa.

"Because every page you put over another has to account for the thickness of the pages inside it as well as the width of the pages" explained Elissa "I found that out when we made our herbal. It builds up remarkably quickly! We moved to sewing the herbal on single sheets with a wide margin and sewed right through drilled strips of wood front and back to prevent the sewing thread from cutting the paper, which is all very well for thin books but not bulky works. I'm sure H'llon will work out how to do it" she added cheerfully.

Bendarek was very quiet; and Elissa noticed him have a word with Mastersmith Fandarel before they left.

Kilaia, who never got on with any child her own age – or for that matter, much with any child of any age – had to wave and say goodbye to every dragon in the plain – and there were a large number – having made friends with all of them. And confirming anyone's guess, thought Lessa, by calling to them by name when no Rider had introduced her.

Back home, Elissa asked Kispre and Preslan if they could hear dragons.

"No" said Kispre

"Only when I listen hard" said Preslan.

"Well, Lessa seems to think it's quite important to not grow out of listening; so if you can hear them it might be worth while practising" said Elissa. "If you wish to; but if it's annoying, I'm not about to insist."

Preslan nodded.

"All right" he said "It doesn't always make sense."

"No" said Elissa "Wnen you eavesdrop about grownup things, that doesn't always make sense to small people either."

Preslan tried to look innocent, failed, and actually grinned.

He was a sight less stolidly priggish than he had been! And he was also starting to look a lot like H'llon rather than a chubby version of Kislan. Elissa was glad on all counts!

Master Bendarek called a meeting of all the masters, Elissa and Tahnee.

"With the discovery of more books it is becoming obvious that they were a teaching aid from infant turns to high level apprentices that the ancients placed a lot of store by" he said "And they seem to have been for entertainment too; one book F'lar found that he showed me – with MUCH hilarity – was not suitable for any decent woman to look at. With illustrations too!" he flushed.

"A sex manual for people getting married?" asked Elissa "If they lost a lot of people to first Fall they may not have had enough mothers available to explain…"

He burned darker.

"It was NOT a manual…it had stories of a…titillating nature, nothing that could be described as instructive at all!" he said.

"People always like the vulgar and tasteless" said Gerney. "Do you remember that journeyman who made a small fortune selling titillating woodcuts?"

"First egg yes!" said Bendarek "His tithes to the Hall were considerable, I'll say that for him he was scrupulously honest! I'm never quite sure whether I was disappointed or relieved when the silly idiot got lost at sea, woodcut plates and all!"

"You wanted to talk to us about salacious pictures, Master?" asked Arkis "To suggest we avoid them?"

"No, that wasn't it… I mean obviously we avoid that, but I got sidetracked and you lot showed an unhealthily prurient interest!" said Bendarek irritably. "No, it's about books – and paper – and printing. Even as the Woodcrafter Hall split apart from Smithcrafting, I believe we need a Bookhall or Printercraft Hall as a separate craft."

"It'll never catch on" said Jaben.

"It HAS caught on, Master Jaben" said Elissa "Tahnee here spends half her time turning out copies of the Herbal Alaran and I made, and they go in hours at Gathers; and most of the rest of her time is on using carved letters to print out words to new songs for people and she can't keep up with the demand."

"Who would be Master?" asked Tuon bluntly.

"That's the question" said Bendarek "I know Elissa invented it – with input and refinements from Tahnee; but Tahnee's too young and so, really, is Elissa. And I can't see you, my dear, wanting to be split yet another way" here Elissa shook her head emphatically "But you and Tahnee MUST have your say in this as you DID invent a new craft that is going to be very important – as the Benden Weyrleaders and many of the Lords Holder have agreed too! And Tahnee must also decide if she is going to remain a woodcrafter; or specialise in Printing and be a senior member of this new craft."

"Hmmph" said Elissa "I may have invented it; but where it's been most developed is in H'llon's fertile brain and workshops. He has adapted a die press that can print quickly and well, using water power so he has significantly brought the craft on. Why not make HIM Printmaster? He can surely handle responsibility or he wouldn't be a Bronze Rider; and I don't think he sleeps more than ten minutes a night anyway. It's why he's so grumpy in the mornings."

Bendarek grinned; H'llon's dislike of early hours was legendary.

"That, as it happens, is the conclusion I had come to myself; and approved by Mastersmith Fandarel as long as it was approved by the inventors" he said "For he too has ideas to add to the craft. Very well; I will speak to H'llon and High Reaches Weyr will create the precedent of hosting a new crafthall. Unless you count logicating of course; which is not yet officially a craft! We shall continue to make paper and print in a small way here; but H'llon and his few apprentices already turn out more paper than my workshop, tenfold at least, for he has it mechanised! Tahnee, will you stay here, my child, or go to H'llon as a printer?"

"Please, Master Bendarek, I don't want to be ungrateful and I do love wood; but I'd love to be a part of something so new!" said Tahnee "The thought of using and helping to make new innovations is so exciting!"

"Very well; I will make additional Journeyman postings tomorrow since you will be the first Printmaker Journeyman" said Master Bendarek.

Tahnee gasped.

"Am I old enough sir?"

"You're the oldest apprentice who has any printcrafting skills" said Bendarek "The next oldest in H'llon's workshop is a couple of turns younger."

"Then – oh I hope I don't let you and him down!" said Tahnee.

Bendarek patted her shoulder kindly.

"I'm sure you won't" he said.

"Master, H'llon is Weyrwoodcrafter" pointed out Gerney "He can't hope to do both. If he accepts he'll have to be relieved."

Bendarek nodded.

"I thought I'd deprive you of Telfer as you get to keep Elissa; Telfer KNOWS High Reaches and will be as acceptable to them as he is used to their ways. Any objections?"

Gerney shook his head.

"As you say, I've Elissa. She's quite capable of dealing with anything as my second. Telfer deserves the promotion to so responsible a task; he's up to it" he grinned "So's Elissa of course; but they can't have her back, she's all mine!"

There was laughter at his fierce tone and he slipped an arm about Elissa's slim shoulders.

"They'll put Telfer to egg anyway" said Elissa "And probably more honestly than having H'llon sat at the front like T'lana did for him to Impress. I don't want to be shared with a dragon."

Bendarek nodded; and wryly reflected that Elissa would have made a better Weyrwoman than a great many he had heard about.

"That's settled then" he said.

And settled it was.

Bendarek invited H'llon to see the mounds and the books for himself; and he and Fandarel sprang the idea on the young Bronze Rider.

Unsurprisingly the enterprising and inventive H'llon was as excited by the idea of being in at the start of a new craft as had been Tahnee! And to be replaced by Telfer as Weyrwoodcrafter he thought most suitable!

Telfer was overjoyed when he was told. He was much the same age as young Hallon had been when he had first gone to the Weyr; and besides he had so many friends there.

"I'll leave friends behind, but rediscover so many others" he said to the logicators.

"All our friends going off places" Sadvia's lip quivered; she and Telfer had been more or less an item for a while.

"Journeymen journey" Telfer shrugged "If you miss me, you can always come on Search you know."

It was casually spoken; but Elissa detected there was more in it than that.

Telfer wanted to know if their relationship was going anywhere.

"I could come now" said Sadvia.

"You should wait" said Telfer "If you REALLY miss me, come. If not? It's been a good turn; let it go while it's still sweet."

He was so, so mature, thought Elissa. She smiled at him warmly, one of her oldest woodcrafting friends.

His return smile was a little rueful; but it spoke volumes. Telfer and Elissa were like brother and sister in their long friendship, and there was no need for words.

Lianka tried not to shed tears over her sister's departure; and failed.

Tahnee hugged her fiercely.

"You're big enough now not to need me" she said "And you've Beka to be friends with and Kisra. YOU're one of the biggest girls now!"

"I don't grudge it; but I'll miss you" said Lianka. "Oh Tahnee! I could come as a woodcrafter with Telfer, couldn't I, if I miss you too much? H'llon has lathes!"

"Huh, you would never DREAM of coming if he didn't have lathes you pest!" laughed Tahnee "Think how many more people I have to miss – you've still got Elissa and Gerney and the kids!"

Lianka nodded.

It was quite true. But partings were so bittersweet even when for reason of good news; and the sisters had shared so much fear and sorrow they were closer than most sisters!

It did feel, Elissa thought, most odd without Tahnee around; the younger girl had become like a little sister to her! Yet Elissa rejoiced that Tahnee had gone off brimming with confidence, and apparently no qualms, completely recovered from the girls' turns at the mercy of Sandrina!

At that she would be closer to Margand, should anything develop there in the future, reflected Elissa; but time enough for that in the future, and a period of separation while each grew in confidence as a crafter would draw them one day closer, or open a rift of different interests. And Tahnee would grow daily in confidence, of that she was sure!

In truth, Tahnee had her worries; but Telfer would be there, and from him and Elissa she felt she knew so many of the High Reaches people! Had she been going to a place peopled by complete strangers she might not have been so sanguine about the concept – but H'llon she knew from his frequent visits to the Woodcrafter Hall and the logicators; and had he not gifted her with little blue Happy? He was her Master now; and they would all be building a craft together!

It was almost the end of the Turn.

Beka too had grown in self confidence over the last turn – as well as out of most of her clothes, reflected Elissa ruefully, though it seemed likely she would never be a very large little person! Even so she seemed to have gained an extra couple of inches of wrist showing out of her sleeves every time she turned around! Soon the girl would have reached a reasonable size for her own age instead of being no bigger than an eight turn old!

Kispre too hardly seemed to stop growing; and he would be starting an apprenticeship with the new turn. He was more than ready for it. Preslan had written as much in one of his careful and dutiful monthly letters to his father; and had only received the reply that either Preslan was losing his wits or was allowing someone to play a joke upon him as the Master would never accept a halfwit like Kispre at the proper time let alone several turns early. Preslan had been upset; and Elissa had taken the reply to Bendarek and demanded that the master should write to explain the facts of life to the only half wit in the family; and to beg Preslan off having to write again.

Bendarek had sighed and given permission; he had encouraged the little boy to write, and Kilaia too once she could. Kilaia had refused to write more than once when Preslan was asked what the illiterate scrawl was in with his note. Bendarek had thought 'luk how god I can rite now muvver farver' had been perfectly legible; and made no effort to force her. If Kislan and Prelaia wanted to go out of their way to drive their children away, that really was their problem; and so he said in the long, literate, scathing and irritated letter he wrote.

And so far as he was concerned, that was an end to that couple's involvement in their children; for he would ORDER them adopted by Gerney and Elissa if need be!

The children were growing up; and were old enough to see where they were well off. Bendarek had no illusions who they would choose if forced so to do, even dutiful Preslan who had confided to him that one could not feel dutiful to someone who called you a liar!

And Beka was sufficiently grown up to join Lianka in Isrona's cot; and it would help Lianka to get over missing her sister. Next turn Sifora would be head of the dormitory; unless there were more than three very young female apprentices starting, in which case she too would have to move in with Isrona and – first egg preserve the Hall – Sheesha would be senior.

Sadvia also elected to stay with Isrona, the end of the dormitory curtained off to reflect her Journeyman status; with just Seeta, Kisra, Lianka, Beka and Rahani. There was room for one more; an older girl or Sifora. And if there were more than four new ones, Sadvia would just have to live in solitary journeyman splendour – as Elissa put it – in Gerney's old room that had lately been occupied by Telfer.

If indeed the girl stayed.

Elissa was not sure what Sadvia felt for Telfer; and she was pretty sure Sadvia was not sure either! Well, either absence would make the heart grow fonder; or out of sight would be out of mind.

At least Telfer never made such a fool of himself as poor Tuon! Elissa started giggling at the though of the decorations master kneeling with a romantic flourish in a runnerbeast turd!

She poured herself klah, laughed again, and sighed.

What a very odd turn it had been – worry, pain and grief mixed in with humour and total happiness.

It was the total happiness of Gerney's love that counted; with that she could weather anything. And with many of the apprentices off home for the holidays, including the older ones of her cot, she sent the three little ones to play with Amula and when Gerney came in from cleaning the lathes preparatory to them both spending the morrow servicing them, she wrapped her arms around him, and drew him urgently to their bedroom and the big bed he had so lovingly carved.

There had been a restraint in Elissa's responses to their loving since the baby had died; and Gerney's heart leaped for joy that she had managed to move on and find Elissa inside 'the dead baby's mother'.

They loved all afternoon with a passion only surpassed by dragonlust; and laughed when Preslan found them on the return of the little ones and declared

"Those lazies haven't even got UP today!"

**The End**

_A/N No, You haven't missed any mention of AIVAS. __I have issues with the whole concept of AIVAS and in my Alternate Universe there is no working computer. Nor will there be a computer craft nor any dubious activity concerning orbital mechanics. There will be technical advances as far as the resource poor world of Pern is able to sustain them. Sudden progression to a tech level that is unfeasible without extreme pollution and many years adaptation and buiding of an infrastructure is not going to happen on my version of Pern. _


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